Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Kremen School of Education and Human Development

Student Outcomes Assessment Plan (Soap)

I.

Mission/Vision Statement

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“Knowledge emerges through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, and hopeful inquiry [we] pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.” - Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed , 1970

The mission of the online Master of Arts in Education (MAT) is to prepare “educators for excellence and ethical action.” More specifically, the program prepares caring, developmentally- and culturally-responsive educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to facilitate the learning of all students from diverse socio-economic, ethnic, linguistic, and ability groups, so that they can more fully participate in a dynamic school, society, and world. In short, the program prepares its teacher practitioners to be knowledgeable and critical consumers of research and to apply research principles in working toward social justice in their own settings.

The Kremen School of Education and Human Development at CSU Fresno envisions excellence as encompassing content-area knowledge, skills, and dispositions that enable our post-baccalaureate and graduate level candidates to become life-long learners. This is essential because of the direct link between a teacher’s ability to teach and student outcomes. Accordingly, our graduate students benefit from programs developing the leadership and stewardship skills necessary to create responsive pedagogy, assessment practices, and curriculum in schools that are healthy, nurturing, and empowering social environments.

Consistent with this vision, the vision of the MAT is to help ensure that every classroom is headed by a teacher who is grounded in theory and current research, who can be creative, reflective, and think critically about instruction and curriculum, who understands the historical and cultural context of schooling, and who can utilize informed leadership skills to improve instruction and student achievement. Additionally, MAT candidates are prepared to achieve excellence in their practice because the program incorporates and extends both state and national standards relating to academic content, professional teaching, and teacher education program standards.

Equity is particularly central to mission and vision of the online MAT program because the strength of a democratic society is predicated upon an informed, engaged, and active citizenry that is inclusive and representative of our diverse population.

Since families of school children and young people served by our teacher candidates will include those who have been historically underserved and under privileged, MAT students will be prepared to critically consider policies and practices that may enable or inhibit equitable access.

MAT graduates will know that the most effective learning outcomes are achieved when the identity of each student who is served is conceptualized within a culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and lifelong learning perspective. They will be personally engaged in learning, seeing the student I the context of family, community, and society. Their collaboration and planning skills will be supported by a willingness to transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries in schools and communities.

Effective and caring educators have the dispositions to see inequities, the imagination to find solutions, and the integrity to act in ways that benefit all learners. The ability to engage with parents, community members, and colleagues is critical to developing excellent, academically rich public schools, particularly in impoverished districts that serve working class and historically underserved communities. Graduates from the KSOEHD, particularly those in the online MAT, will demonstrate ethical action through teaching and school stewardship, capitalizing on the communities they serve.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

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II.

Goals and Learning Outcomes


The overarching goal of the online Master of Arts in Teaching is to prepare candidates become inclusive teachers and critically reflective, equity-oriented educators who are familiar with multiple ways of framing issues and concerns related to teaching, skilled in using research to inform and improve their own practice, and strong in communicating with a wide variety of constituencies, including those who speak a language other than English.

Consequently, the program contributes directly to the needs of our democratic schools and society.

Consistent with the mission and vision of CSU Fresno and the KSOEHD outlined above, the online MAT has developed a set of learning outcomes delineated below. The program’s core courses as well as assessment components have been constructed around these seven learning outcomes.

(1) Critical Questioner:

Students will express a critical, questioning perspective (i.e., identify, describe, and analyze) about diverse theoretical paradigms about teaching, learning and school reform, including those generated by marginalized groups, which situate schooling in a larger historic and political context.

This means that:



Students use broad undergirding epistemological perspectives (i.e., positivism, phenomenology, narrative, emancipatory knowledge) to critically interpret what people say about teaching, learning, and school reform.



Students compare and contrast "mainstream" perspectives about teaching and learning with those generated by members of marginalized groups.

 Students use their own personal and professional experience as a foundation to articulate their own perspectives about teaching and learning issues.



Students situate (identify, place, and interpret) specific school issues in larger sociological contexts defined by complex historical and contemporary relations of race, ethnicity, language, social class, and gender.

(2) Scholar Activist:

Students will search, navigate, and critically consume (read, analyze, and use) educational research.

This means that:



Students use electronic search processes to locate appropriate resources.



Students show familiarity with a range of important journals, including research journals.



Students evaluate the appropriateness of different research methods for the particular question being asked and research design.



Students describe how different research designs broaden or narrow both the questions and the findings.



Students can critique epistemological assumptions of multiple research paradigms.



Students can read, evaluate, and use articles that report both quantitative and qualitative research.

(3) Mixed Methods Action Researcher/Qualitative and Quantitative:

Students will use, apply, design, and implement research to bring about change and make improvements in their own professional environment.

This means that:



Students can describe the main features of action research.



Students can identify a focused problem related to education, and formally propose a reasonable research process for investigating and acting on that issue.



Students can design and carry out an applied action research study, project or thesis.



Students can communicate the completed study, project, or thesis both orally and in written or electronic form.

 Students can identify and use the main features of relevant research design.

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

Students can reflect on the process of their research and progress toward change as a result of their research

(4) Critically Reflective, Equity-Oriented Practitioner :

Students will demonstrate their knowledge of and ability to use the most appropriate culturally responsive and inclusionary practices that support complex and challenging learning and development of all pupils.

This means that:



Students identify, demonstrate and advocate for what it means to teach well in a pluralistic, global context.



Students actively work to strengthen own practice through reflection and continuing professional and personal development.

(5) Clear Communicator:

Students will communicate clearly and effectively orally, in writing, and online and in their action research studies, projects or thesis in a manner that is clear and commands professional attention.

This means that:

 Speaking, writing, and online communication are free of distracting errors.



Writing and oral communication are organized clearly.



Forms of communication are appropriate to the topic and audience.



Conventions of using the work of others are employed correctly and ethically.

 Online posts, action research, etc. shows polish and attention to detail.

(6) Technological Navigator:

Candidate will use technology critically to access information, to communicate, and as a means of curricular and pedagogical support for higher level thinking.

This means that:



Students assess the value of technology in relation to the needs of pupils, the values that the technologies communicate, and the relevance to pupil learning.



Students make decisions about technologies based on ways in which those technologies aid, limit, or hinder the learning process.



Students use technologies in creative and innovative ways while representing the substance of content being explored.



Students develop explorative and creative educational applications of technology.

 Students use multiple forms of technology for a range of purposes (e.g., communication, presentation, curriculum development, locating information, organization and classroom management, problem solving, learning support, current technological applications).

(7) Social justice collaborator:

Students will work with communities of practice on behalf of social justice.

This means that:



Students connect with parents and communities.

 Students have socio-cultural consciousness; that is, they recognize that the was people perceive the world, interact with one another, and approach learning, among other things, are deeply influenced by such factors as race/ethnicity, social class, language, and disability. This understanding enables students to cross cultural boundaries that separate them from their students, families, and surrounding communities.



Students develop their own pupils’ critical consciousness.

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

Students build democratic participation inside and outside of school.

As explained more fully in the Curriculum Mapping Section below, all MAT learning outcomes are associated with one to several MAT core courses, the program’s assessment components, and the program’s three Culminating

Experience options: Comprehensive Examination, Action Research Project, or Action Research Thesis.

The MAT and Standards for Teacher Education

Unlike more conventional MAT programs, the Master of Arts in Teaching program at CSU Fresno is not both a credential and master’s degree program. But it does explicitly focus on the professional development of educators.

Because of that focus it reflects the professional standards for teacher development created by state, regional, and national professional boards as briefly explicated below:

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards:

The MAT programs’ student learning outcomes reflect the propositions of the National Board for Professional

Teaching Standards (NBPTS) for National Board-Certified Teachers (NBCTs), as both are designed to develop further the knowledge, skills and dispositions of practicing educators for working within a pluralistic society and for continuously examining and enhancing their own practice:

Prop. 1: Teachers are committed to students and learning.



NBCTs are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They believe all students can learn.



They treat students equitably. They recognize the individual differences that distinguish their students from one another and they take account for these differences in their practice.



NBCTs understand how students develop and learn.



They respect the cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom.



They are concerned with their students’ self-concept, their motivation, and the effects of learning on peer relationships.

Prop. 2: Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to children.



NBCTs have mastery over the subject(s) they teach. They have a deep understanding of the history, structure, and real-world applications of the subject.



They have skill and experience in teaching it, and they are very familiar with the skills gaps and preconceptions students may bring to the subject.

 They are able to use diverse instructional strategies to teach for understanding.

Prop. 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.



NBCTs deliver effective instruction. They move fluently through a range of instructional techniques, keeping students motivated, engaged, and focused.



They know how to engage students to ensure a disciplined learning environment, and how to organize instruction to meet instructional goals.



NBCTs know how to assess the progress of individual students as well as the class as a whole.

 They use multiple methods for measuring student growth and understanding, and they can clearly explain student performance to parents.

Prop 4: Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.



NBCTs model what it means to be an educated person—they read, they question, they create, and they are willing to try new things.

 They are familiar with learning theories and instructional strategies and stay abreast of current issues in

American education.



They critically examine their practice on a regular basis to deepen knowledge, expand their repertoire of skills, and incorporate new findings into their practice.

Prop 5: Teachers are members of learning communities.



NBCTs collaborate with others to improve student learning.

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

They are leaders and actively know how to seek and build partnerships with community groups and businesses.



They work with other professionals on instructional policy, curriculum development, and staff development.



They know how to work collaboratively with parents to engage them productively in the work of the school.

Although all five NBPTS core propositions underlie the MAT Program’s philosophy and purposes, mission and vision, and all are reflected in MAT courses to some extent, it is primarily propositions 1 and 4 that relate most directly to the program’s outcomes: Teachers are committed to students and learning; and Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience. Clearly, the MAT Program is heavily contextualized within a multicultural, social justice or equity-oriented paradigm. Accordingly, it emphasizes a deep commitment to valuing diversity and teaching for equity and inclusion. It also requires the active involvement of educators in critical examination and analysis of their own teaching situations within this context, ultimately leading them to take action as advocates on behalf of the children and the communities they serve. In this vein, the MAT is integrally tied to its overarching conceptual framework, reflecting its knowledge base as well as its vision, mission, philosophy and purposes. (See MAT Program Handbook)

Other Professional Standards Boards

As illustrated in the aligned standards figure below and explained more fully in the MAT Program Handbook , the

Master of Arts in Teaching program reflects not only the propositions of the National Board for Professional

Teaching Standards (NBPTS) but also additional professional standards related to teaching:

 the five California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP);

 the 14 Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE) that explicate the CSTP

 the 10 standards developed by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support consortium (INTASC);

 The 11 standards developed by IDEA currently being piloted at CSU Fresno.

Please see Appendix A: Program Learning Outcomes Aligned with Professional Standards

III.

MAT Program Coursework and Assessment


Candidates in the online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) are admitted as a cohort and together take a prescribed sequence of courses including an equity-oriented research core and equity-oriented curriculum and instruction core. The MAT capstone or Culminating Experience options include a Comprehensive Examination, a Project or a

Thesis. The coursework and associated assessment system is outlined below.

MAT Coursework

The entire MAT program is 30 units with up to 9 units transferrable from accredited post-credential or master’s degree programs. Coursework consists of two main components that parallel the two major groups of learning outcomes: a research core and a curriculum and instruction core. One course from each core component is taken each semester in the 3-semester program and reflects a developmental, spiral curriculum moving from Introducing

(I) to Refining (R) to Mastery (M) of the program and student learning outcomes.

Coursework, Signature Assignments and Learning Outcomes

MAT Course

CI 240 Social Justice and the

*Assignments and Signature

Assignments Embedding MAT Learning

Outcomes

Educational Life History/Personal

MAT Learning Outcome(s)

Introduced, Refined, and/or Met in

Course

(I) Critical Questioner

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Multicultural Classroom

(Fall, Semester 1)

ERA 243 Research on Teaching in the

Diverse Classroom: Quantitative and

Qualitative Methods (Fall, Semester 1)

Teaching Metaphor

Race-Ethnicity/Social Class/Gender

Autobiography

OR

Bibliography of Cultural/Social Justice

Resources: Annotated Bibliographies

OR

Case Study Dialogue with a Child,

Adolescent, Parent or Community

Member

Interview and Case Study Observation of

Another Equity-Oriented Teacher

Developmentally Appropriate Learning

Environment Unit Rationale

OR

School Outcomes Paper: Closing the

Achievement Gap

*Weekly quizzes on readings

*Weekly Reading Responses, case study analyses, etc.

*Final exam incorporates foundations: history, philosophy, and politics.

*Electronic portfolio addresses LOs and

CSTPs at I levels

Unit Modules on Mixed Methods research strategies:

1.

Service Learning as Social

Justice

2.

Service Learning as

Participatory Action Research

3.

Planning SL Project

4.

Research Formulation Stage:

Selecting an Issue, Reviewing

Research, and Developing

Questions

5.

Research Design Stage: Mixed

Methods, Research Paradigms, and Research Procedure

6.

Research Design Stage:

Designs, Sampling, Schemes and Ethics

7.

Data Stage: Collection

Procedures and Instruments

8.

Data Stage: Quantitative,

Qualitative, and Mixed Analysis

Procedures

9.

Data Stage: Interpretation,

Reliability, and Validity

10.

Drafting an Action Research

(I) Critically Reflective, Equity-

Oriented Practitioner

(I) Clear Communicator

(I) Scholar Activist

(I) Technological Navigator

(I) Mixed Methods, Action Researcher

(I) Scholar Activist

(I) Social Justice Collaborator

(I) Clear Communicator

(I) Technological Navigator

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CI 241 Teaching for Equity and Justice in the Multicultural Classroom: Practice into Theory

(Spring, Semester 2)

Proposal

Annotated Research Article Summaries

Preliminary Literature Review on an

MSJE topic



*Electronic Portfolio addresses LOs and

CSTPs at I levels

Literature Circles, Cooperative Learning,

Democratized Assessment, etc. case study

Set of writings addressing how you decide what knowledge is most worth teaching and learning, given various issues, dilemmas, and constraints.

Case study of the development of your thinking as reflected in DB postings,

Assignments, etc.

Design for assessing student learning that uses “backward planning” and connects authentic assessment with accountability forms of assessment.

MSJE Teaching Examples paper and multimedia presentation

OR

Integrated Curriculum Unit

Curriculum analysis and critique, using guide in Turning on Learning.

Find out how some students your unit is written for think about and understand an issue or concept that they unit you develop will address.

Curriculum concept paper discussing how a concept you plan to teach can be viewed from perspectives of historically marginalized intellectuals, based on your readings from some of the new scholarship in ethnic studies, women’s studies, disability studies, or other critical studies.

Unit that implements a model of MSJE curriculum construction, along with a

MSJE Lesson & Multimedia

Presentation

(R) Critical Questioner

(R) Scholar Activist

(R) Critically Reflective, Equity-


(R) Clear Communicator

(R) Social Justice Collaborator

(R) Technological Navigator

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CI 245 Investigating Classroom Practice in the Multicultural Classroom:

Practitioner Research

(Spring, Semester 2)

CI 246 Action Research in the

Multicultural Classroom: Capstone

Study and Dissemination (Fall,

Semester 3)

CI 260 Critical Pedagogy (Fall, Semester

3, Comprehensive Examination Option)


*Weekly Reading Responses including case study critiques

*Final exam situated in Sleeter and

Grant’s 5 approaches and case studies reflecting the approaches.

*Electronic Portfolio illustrating key LOs and CSTPs at R level

Unit Modules on Action Research

1.

Module 1: Variables

2.

Module 2: Qualitative Data

Analysis

3.

Module 3: Quantitative

Descriptive Data Analysis

4.

Module 4: Quantitative Data

Analysis: Inferential Statistical

Tests

5.

Module 5: Presenting Results



*Electronic Portfolio illuminating R of

LOs and CSTPs

Action Research Study in multimedia presentation

Creation of MAT action research program website

Creation of links to an annotated bibliography of MSJE action research studies nationwide

Equity-Oriented Position Papers:

1.

Foundations of American

Schooling

2.

Practice of Teaching to Change the World

3.

Context of Teaching to Change the World



*Electronic Portfolio illuminating R/M of

LOs and CSTPs

**Comprehensive Examination

(R) Mixed Methods, Action

Researcher

(R) Critically Reflective, Equity-


(R) Scholar Activist

(R) Social Justice Collaborator

(R) Technological Navigator

(M) Critical Questioner

(M) Scholar Activist

(M) Critically Reflective, Equity-


(M) Mixed Methods, Action

Researcher

(M) Clear Communicator

(M) Technological Navigator

(M) Social Justice Collaborator




Researcher

(M) Reflective Practitioner




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CI 298 MAT Project

OR

CI 299 MAT Thesis

(Fall, Semester 3, Project or Thesis

Option)

I = Introduced

R = Refined

M = Mastered

addressing M levels of LOs and CSTPs

MAT Project

MAT Thesis




Researcher

(M) Critically Reflective, Equity-





IV.

Assessment Rubrics

Direct Measures

The following rubrics will be used to assess whether MAT students have met the particular course and program learning outcomes at the Introductory, Refined or Mastery levels. These rubrics will be used for assessing and evaluating all assignments and signature assignments identified above as well as in the redesigned course syllabi.

The criteria and standards for each of the rubrics for each of the MAT Learning Outcomes below is delineated below:

MAT Student Learning Outcomes

Critical Questioner:

Students will express a critical, questioning perspective (i.e., identify, describe, and analyze) about diverse theoretical paradigms about teaching, learning and school reform, including those generated by marginalized groups, which situate schooling in a larger historic and political context.

This means that:



Students use broad undergirding epistemological perspectives (i.e., positivism, phenomenology, narrative, emancipatory knowledge) to critically interpret what people say about teaching, learning, and school reform.



Students compare and contrast "mainstream" perspectives about teaching and learning with those generated by members of marginalized groups.



Students use their own personal and professional experience as a foundation to articulate their own perspectives about teaching and learning issues.

 Students situate (identify, place, and interpret) specific school issues in larger sociological contexts defined by complex historical and contemporary relations of race, ethnicity, language, social class, and gender.

Criteria and standards for evaluation:

Depth of understanding Evidence of own voice Significance of the issues Broad contextualization

Exemplary

Makes direct application of theory to practice; explains theories in own

Advocates a position; negotiates between own perspective and those of

Articulates importance and relevance of action thesis in a way that resonates with

Clearly situates action thesis within different theoretical traditions and

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words, making real life connection; uses analysis and synthesis; offers unique examples others; clearly acknowledges own assumptions, beliefs and values personal passions and experience as well as moral and broad societal implications for change; challenges what has been taken for granted or accepted paradigms, and/or political, social, historical, and economic contexts

Satisfactory

Occasionally offers direct applications and examples; explains, paraphrases, summarizes theory in own words

Identifies and articulates own position; may negotiate between own perspective and those of others; acknowledges own assumptions, beliefs and values.

Articulates some reasoning

To some extent, situates action thesis within for the importance and relevance of one's topic in a different theoretical way that reflect both personal experience and traditions and paradigms and/or political, social, broader societal implications historical, and economic contexts

Has not yet met the outcome

Doesn’t explain theories, literature, focus in own words or make connections to own life and work

Rarely speaks from own experience, doesn't acknowledge own assumptions, beliefs and values

Selects a focus without articulating its importance and relevance

Does not situate action thesis within a theoretical, social, or historical context



Student Brown Illustration of Critical Questioner

 Student Shaw Illustration of Critical Questioner

Scholar Activist:

Students will search, navigate, and critically consume (read, analyze, and use) educational research.

This means that:



Students use electronic search processes to locate appropriate resources.

 Students show familiarity with a range of important journals, including research journals.



Students evaluate the appropriateness of different research methods for the particular question being asked and research design.



Students describe how different research designs broaden or narrow both the questions and the findings.



Students can critique epistemological assumptions of multiple research paradigms.



Students can read, evaluate, and use articles that report both quantitative and qualitative research.


Rigor Appropriateness

Exemplary

Conducts thorough and extensive review and synthesis, uses significant multiple resources, uses broad range of considerations for critiquing and evaluating sources, includes primary research.

Uses and critiques major contributors to field related to focus of action thesis; uses relevant search processes; uses research from multiple perspectives pertinent to the question.

Satisfactory

Has not yet met the

Outcome

Conducts review and synthesis, uses some significant resources, uses range of considerations for critiquing and evaluating sources, includes primary research.

Finds material related to the focus, and uses and critiques some of the major contributors to that field; uses relevant search processes; uses research from limited perspectives pertinent to the question.

Just reviews, does not synthesize; limited range of resources, limited critique and evaluation, minimal primary research.

Finds some material related to the action thesis, but recognizes and uses few of the major contributors; ineffectively uses search processes; uses research from narrow perspectives; does not recognize the perspectives of research

10 12-Mar-14



Student Holicky Illustration of Scholar Activist



Student McHenry Illustration of Scholar Activist

Mixed Methods Action Researcher/Qualitative and Quantitative:

Students will use, apply, design, and implement research to bring about change and make improvements in their own professional environment.

This means that:



Students can describe the main features of action research.



Students can identify a focused problem related to education, and formally propose a reasonable research process for investigating and acting on that issue.



Students can design and carry out an applied action research project.



Students can communicate the completed project both orally, and in written or electronic form.



Students can identify and use the main features of relevant research design.



Students can reflect on the process of their research and progress toward change as a result of their research


Rigor Appropriateness Significance

Exemplary

Satisfactory

Gathers information and resources thoroughly and systematically; designs and conducts sound methodological processes; produces results, findings, or product with clear ties to change and improvement.

Strong match between purpose and questions, and methods, findings, procedures, implications, and entire range of work in the action thesis.

Makes a compelling case for the action thesis in terms of its potential for change and improvement, and in a way that is connected to the work others have been doing.

Gathers information and resources reasonably thoroughly; designs and conducts reasonable methodological processes.

Good match between purpose and questions, and methods, findings, procedures, implications, and entire range of work in the action thesis.

Makes reasonable case for the potential of the action thesis for change and improvement, and in a way that is connected to the work others have been doing.

Has not yet met the

Outcome

Information, resources, and procedures appear incomplete or haphazard.

The methods and procedures don't exactly match the purpose and main questions of the action thesis.

Does not make a case for the potential of the action thesis for change and improvement, or does not connect that to the work others have been doing.



Student Hatch Illustration of Mixed Methods Action Researcher/Qualitative and Quantitative



Student Saechao Illustration of Mixed Methods Action Researcher/Qualitative and Quantitative

Clear Communicator:

Students will communicate (e.g., discussion board posts, assignments, position papers, etc.) and in their action research study, project or thesis in a manner that is clear and commands professional attention.

This means that:



Online communication and action research study, project or thesis is free of distracting errors



Online communication and action research study, project or thesis is organized clearly



Online communication and form of action research study, project or thesis is appropriate to the topic and audience



Conventions of using the work of others are employed correctly and ethically



Action research study, research or thesis shows polish and attention to detail

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Technical Competence

Exemplary

Clarity Appropriateness

Free of distracting errors of any sort; the mechanics of producing and communicating the thesis support its content and do not draw attention to themselves; systematically follows a professional convention of writing.

Organized and produced in such a way that an audience can easily follow and find one's way around the work.

Structure, form, media, organization, etc. fit the topic or focus, and contribute to clarity and impact of communicating it.

Satisfactory

Minimal errors; the mechanics of producing and communicating the thesis support its content and do not draw attention to themselves; follows a professional convention of writing.

Organized and produced in such a way that an audience can follow and find one's way around the work, although may have to work somewhat to do so.

Structure, form, media, organization, etc. fit the topic or focus reasonably well.

Has not yet met the

Outcome

Errors in spelling, grammar, reference and citation conventions, and so forth distract from the action thesis.

Confusing or difficult for an audience to follow.

Structure, form, media, organization, etc. distract from communicating the action thesis clearly.



Student Wise Action Research Project Illustration of Clear Communicator

 Student Shaw Action Research Comprehensive Exam Illustration of Clear Communicator

Social Justice Collaborator:

Students will work with communities of practice on behalf of social justice.


Coalition building Quality of coalition participation Social Justice

Exemplary

Mutually shape, share, and define ideas, working across communities of practice and lines of difference.

Dialectic of ideas and action that is grounded in a shared understanding.

Shared passionate commitment.

Can not only identify and uncover injustices, but acts to address them.

Satisfactory

Mutually shape, share, and define ideas, working across communities of practice.

Dialectic of ideas and action that is grounded in a shared understanding.

Can identify and uncover injustices.

Has not yet met the Outcome

Acts alone, representing only one’s own viewpoint.

Unilateral or dictatorial participator in community of practice

Only represents one point of view; unaware of social injustices



Student Berna Illustration of Social Justice Collaborator



Student Leatherman Illustration of Social Justice Collaborator

Critically Reflective, Equity-Oriented Practitioner:

Candidates will demonstrate their knowledge of and ability to use the most appropriate culturally responsive and inclusionary practices that support complex and challenging learning and development of all students.

This means that:



Candidates identify, demonstrate, and advocate for what it means to teach well in a pluralistic, global context



Candidates actively work to strengthen own practice through reflection and continuing professional and personal development

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Reflective Practitioner Professional/Personal Dispositions

Target

Knowledge

Critically examines own practice regularly to guide direction and development of next steps in personal and professional growth

Respects and values individual differences between students, and uses students’ diversity to build an inclusive curriculum and teaching strategies that make knowledge accessible to all students

Can identify potential misconceptions and preconceptions students may have about subject matter; makes regular use of diverse instructional strategies based on multiple theories and perspectives

Knows how to examine own teaching to self-evaluate and

Developing has used reflections to develop plans for personal and professional growth

Respect individual student differences and can build inclusive teaching strategies based on them but may have little or no knowledge about or experience with building an inclusive curriculum

Subject matter knowledge does not include anticipation of students’ potential misconceptions and preconceptions about the subject matter; can discuss multiple theories and perspectives about teaching and is able to use some diversity

Emerging

Knows importance, and is in the beginning stages, of examining own practice critically but is not yet able to apply reflections towards personal or professional growth

Respects individual student differences and is aware of their value in building lessons and curricula, but is not yet familiar with methods for doing so

Is aware that multiple theories and perspectives about teaching and learning exist but relies primarily on traditional methods; has limited grasp of subjects taught



Student Quiñonez de Perez Illustration of Critically Reflective, Equity-Oriented Practioner

 Student Ginn Illustration of Critically Reflective, Equity-Oriented Practioner

Technological Navigator:

Candidates will use technology critically to access information, to communicate, and as a means of curricular and pedagogical support for higher level thinking.

This means that:



Candidates assess the value of a technology in relation to the needs of students, the values that the technologies communicate, and the relevance to student learning.



Candidates make decisions about technologies based on ways in which those technologies aid, limit, or hinder the learning process



Candidates use technologies in creative and innovative ways while representing the substance of the content being explore



Candidates develop explorative and creative educational applications of technology



Candidates use multiple forms of technology for a range of purposes (e.g., communication, presentation, curriculum development, locating information, organization and classroom management, problem solving, learning support, current technological applications)


Technological Competence Creativity Reflectivity

Target

Able to teach technical competence working at closing the digital disconnect between teachers and learners.

Creates and applies technology to make the learning process itself engaging and invitational.

Takes action to bridge technological divide and to bridge differing learning communities; use technology empower communities

Developing CTAP2 Adapts materials to the learning styles and needs of audience

Evaluates use of technology for audience needs; evaluates information and materials that are technologically

13 12-Mar-14

Emerging CTAP2 using technology available

Does not connect technological applications with learning processes or audiences

Uses technology or technologically available materials without evaluating them in relationship to their audience

 Student 1 Illustration of Technological Navigator (See Appendix E)

 Student 2 Illustration of Technological Navigator



Student 3 Illustration of Technological Navigator

The MSJE Action Research Project abstract below illustrates how these new MAT Student Learning

Outcomes align with the previous CSTP indicators previously used in the program as well as the new program outcomes to assess whether the project has met important learning outcomes:

“The Effect of Student-Teacher Interaction on Student Performance”

ABSTRACT

Research Question: How do positive teacher-student interactions affect student achievement? How is it that the same teacher interactions do not generate the same reactions in students, even if those students are similar in their interests, personalities, and parental involvement? Context: I am a first year teacher at James Rutter Middle

School. The classes used for this study were two sections of seventh grade Honors English. Methods and Data: I conducted a student survey to determine the effects of student attitudes about teachers on effort and performance. I also collected "letters to incoming students" in which students reflected on the class and on working with me as a teacher. Furthermore, I present three case studies of individual students. Results: The results of the survey and letters were somewhat inconclusive, though they did provide some interesting insight into what students think about their interactions with their teachers. Conclusions: I discovered that, while positive teacherstudent interactions can have a positive effect on student effort and performance, these interactions do more to create a setting in which students can be held accountable for their own performance.

CREP/SJC/MMAR (Mastery): CSTP 1.5 Promoting self-directed, reflective learning for all students CSTP 2.4

Establishing and maintaining standards for student behavior CSTP 5.1 Establishing and communicating learning goals for all students CSTP 5.5 Communicating with students, families, and other audiences about student progress.



Student Schirripa Action Research Project



Student Schoentag Action Research Project



Student Soliday Action Research Project

The following question from the MAT Comprehensive Examination, Fall 2011 is representative of those addressing the existing goals/standards of the program, reflects its SOAP, and would also meet the new LOs. This case study vignette addresses Goal/Standard 3: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for all Students or in terms of its alignment with the newly conceived Learning Outcome, Critically Reflective, Equity-Oriented

Practitioner :

Case Study: "Education and Equity: Closing the Achievement Gap"

A: Policy makers and politicians are yelling about how schools are failing to provide equal opportunity for all students and now they're putting such a stranglehold on the system through testing that there isn't much left for teachers to do but teach 10 the tests, Learning how to pass benchmark tests is not going to prepare people to participate in a global economy.

B: The reason why some students-particularly those from our complex urban settings where there are large minority populations-aren't achieving as well as others is because we don't expect enough of them. The schools as they now function are part of the problem. They are lax on requirements. We need to tighten standards and go

14 12-Mar-14

back to requiring three years of math and three years of science and a foreign language, among other things, We need to make the high school diploma stand for something again. If you want to raise minority student performance, raise the bar and expect them to reach it.

C: Wait a minute, this isn't just about class and color-what about any student who doesn't happen to be academically inclined? Do they have to meet your stiff requirements, too? They aren't going to go to college, much less become scientists, engineers, or heads of multinational corporations. If you want to talk about being fair, fair is giving everyone a curriculum that is suitable for their particular interests and talents and then challenging them to go as far as they are capable of going, even if they aren't academically inclined, A: Did you ever notice how the students who get tagged as "not academically inclined" usually happen to be students of color?

B: You're right. That is why everybody has 10 meet the standards. And if states and school districts don't produce results, they don't deserve funding from the government. If anything, teachers have had too much freedom with the curriculum, If you want everybody to meet the standards then you have to have a standard curriculum. I say,

"Bring on the scripts!" We need a script because we sure haven't closed the achievement gap by ad-libbing it in the classroom.

A: You're both focusing on the wrong issues. To really close the achievement gap we have to provide a curriculum that is both rigorous and culturally relevant. You can't expect kids to come off the street and digest a bunch of facts so they can fill in a bubble on a test score sheet. I'm for accountability and I'm for high standards, but what about benchmarks for becoming a member of a democratic community and being able to understand and speak out on issues of importance to you and to your family? What of learning to read because you have something worth reading that means something to you? What about learning to live with difference and communicate with people who have different capacities than your own? Right now we can talk a good game about inclusion in public schools, but nobody wants an inclusive curriculum when it is time to take the tests. We tell some kids to stay home on test days.

B: The minute you start talking about cultural relevance and inclusiveness you are already throwing out the standards. A standards-based curriculum with built-in, objective measures of accountability will ensure that the playing field is level for everyone.

* What are the issues you see embedded in the argument among these three?

* To what extent do you identify with one of the speakers more than the others and why?

* In what ways should the schools address educational equity through MSJE and/or AR approaches?



Student Illustration of Comprehensive Examination

Finally, the sample below illustrates how a MSJE, Action Research Thesis would address the goals/standards of the program and its re-conceptualized SOAP:

“Running in Blocks”

ABSTRACT

Research Question: How is the mile fitness run time affected if students are on the block schedule? Context:

Edward Harris is a new school in the district, which has only been opened for two years. The school is socioeconomically diverse. The idea of this school is to see if being on a block schedule helps students in the classroom and on tests scores more than a more traditional schedule. Results: Students who had P.E. continually had the greatest number achieving the Healthy Fitness Zone; however, all groups did improve on their run times. Methods and Data: Collection of data, run times, occurred throughout the year and was then sorted by students who had

P.E. term 1/3, term 1/4, term 2/3, and term 2/4. Conclusions: Every group improved in overall run time; however, the group with continuous P,E. (2/3) had the greatest number running in the HFZ, which is the overall goal.

Key words-physical education, middle school, block schedule, run times.

CREP/SJC/MMAR (Mastery ): CSTP 4.3 Developing and sequencing instructional activities and materials for student learning CSTP 4.4 Designing short-term and long-term plans to foster student learning CSTP 5.4 Using the results of assessments to guide instruction

15 12-Mar-14

California Physical Education Content Standards

3.4 Participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity a minimum of four days each week. 3.5 Assess periodically the attainment of, or progress toward, personal physical fitness goals and make necessary adjustments to a personal physical fitness program.

 Student Illustration of an Action Research Thesis

Indirect Measures

For the major indirect measure of whether students met the learning outcomes for the previous SOAP, see

Appendix B, Exit Survey for Cohorts 4-6, years 2008-2011.

The current cohort (Cohort 7) who graduate fall 2012 will be assessed and evaluated according to the previous

SOAP outcomes and methods as the course syllabi, assignments, assessments, and culminating experiences were designed according to the previous SOAP. (See Appendix C, SOAP 2011). Both direct and indirect measures will be implemented for the new Cohort 8 who begin the program fall 2012 and obviously designed to meet the outcomes of the re-conceptualized SOAP.

Finally, a paper analyzing the effectiveness of the MAT co-authored by two of the MAT faculty, Walter J. Ullrich and Greg Goodman, (see Appendix D, “Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change”) as a further illustration of the program’s direct and indirect assessment measures.

16 12-Mar-14

V.

Timeline for Implementation of Assessment Methods and Summary Evaluations

Timeline for Data Collection and Review

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

HOLD CTRL THEN CLICK

TO VIEW EXAMPLE

2012-13

Writing Sample

Online Application

New Project, Comprehensive

Exam, and Thesis Guidelines

New Exit Survey/Focus Group

New Alumni Survey

New Employer Survey

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

* *

* Implementation of new SOAP with new Learning Outcomes

Gather Assessment data on

Assignments, Signature

Assignments, etc. with respect to new Learning Outcomes and

SOAP

2009-2010

*

 Create Advancement to Candidacy Checklist as part of Project/Thesis Guidelines packet, suitable for use by other graduate programs as well as MAE-C&I.

 Create new Web page, continue updating MAT Organization to reflect current goals and courses.

 Goals 1-4: Develop survey to assess students' project/thesis goals and initiate procedure of pairing CI 298 faculty with their CI 298 advisees 4 months before the formal start of the semester in which they will register for CI 298.

 Goal 4: CI 241 was revised and offered as a face-to-face elective with a service-learning component for the

MAE-C&I program for the first time.

 Goals 1-4: Hold discussions among MAT faculty about program content and focus, and how to better support students going into their project/thesis semester through workshops, early advising, etc.

2010-2011

 Goals 1-4: Revisit/revise program goals and objectives, as well as outcomes to be assessed according to the

CSTPs and the manner in which they are to be assessed.

 Develop rubric to assess the CI 298/Project and CI299/Theis and Comprehensive Examination with respect to the CSTPs.

 Develop and disseminate an Employer Survey to assess employers’ evaluation of our graduates, related to the goals and objectives.

17 12-Mar-14

 Revise and disseminate an Alumni Survey to assess program quality related to the program goals and objectives.

2011-2012

 Professional development for new faculty, Alamillo, Bathina, and Hart. Collect data from their Assignments and Signature Assignments to assess whether relevant CSTPs in the current SOAP are being met.

 Goal 2 : Collect data from MJSE Action Research Project, Thesis and Comprehensive Examinations to assess whether relevant CSTPs in the current SOAP are being met.


201213

 Re-design syllabi according to new Learning Outcomes.

 Collect data from Cohort 8 Assignments, Signature Assignments, etc. to track whether relevant LOs are being met.


VI.

Closing the Loop - Summary Evaluation, Curriculum Adjustment, and Reporting

CTRL + CLICK TO

VIEW EXAMPLE

The MAT Annual Report f2011-12 for the existing SOAP, existing learning outcomes, and existing assessment methods is briefly highlighted below:

The mission of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) focuses specifically on applied advanced study through mixed methods, action research in multicultural, social justice education in K-12 classrooms

(curriculum, instruction, assessment/evaluation, and leadership). This online program emphasizes practitioner-oriented knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to improve education in K-12 schools and close the achievement gap in the state’s public schools.

What learning outcomes did you assess this year?

Spring 2012 was spent re-conceptualizing the program’s learning outcomes and SOAP for implementation with the newly admitted Cohort 8 who begin the 3-semester MAT fall 2012.

The program’s coordinator, Walter J. Ullrich, co-authored a book chapter on the use of action research in the MAT with a former faculty in the program [Goodman, G., Ullrich, W. J., & Nava, P. (2012). Action research for critical classroom and community change. In Cannella, A., & Steinberg, S. (Eds.). Critical

Qualitative Research Reader . (pp. 390-407). Peter Lang]. See Appendix D.

Specific Learning Outcomes assessed during 2011/12 for Cohort 6 (who graduated fall 2011) and Cohort

7 (who began the program fall 2011) are identified below with an asterisk (*). Each Goal section concludes by succinctly identifying the instruments used, findings with respect to learning outcomes assessed, and changes made in the program based on these data.

Finally, 3 new faculty, Dr. Laura Alamillo, Dr. Jyothi Bathina, and Dr. Stephen Hart, assumed full

18 12-Mar-14

responsibilities for the MAT with Cohort 7, who began the program fall 2011.

Goal 1: CURRICULUM

• Prepare curricular and instructional leaders with knowledge of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation in multicultural, social justice education through mixed methods, action research.

*Learning Outcome 1.1: Graduates will identify important theoretical and based characteristics of well-developed curricula and use them to analyze curricula in multicultural, social justice education.

*Learning Outcome 1.2: Graduates will identify ways technology can facilitate the goals of multicultural, social justice curriculum.

1.

Instruments included critically reflective assignments and posts, problem-based papers, and mixed methods research modules in CI240 and ERA243 (Cohort 7, fall) and critically reflective case studies, problem-based video critiques and production, and action research critiques and projects in CI246, CI260 and CI298 (Cohort 6, fall).

2.

Data indicated that nearly all students scored “exemplary” on the scoring rubrics for each of these course and program requirements. Two Cohort 6 students received outstanding project awards.

3.

Course syllabi for CI240, ERA243, CI246, CI260, and the program’s culminating experiences

(Comprehensive Examination, Action Research Project and Action Research Thesis) continue to be refined, given these data.

Goal 2: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Prepare professionals with the ability to analyze and implement effective instructional strategies, including technology, in multicultural, social justice education through mixed methods, action research.

*Learning Outcome 2.1: Graduates will use learning and instructional theories and research findings to analyze instructional practices in multicultural, social justice education.

*Learning Outcome 2.2: Graduates will implement instructional strategies that facilitate learning for cognitively, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse populations.

*Learning Outcome 2.3: Graduates will develop techniques for utilizing technology as an instructional tool for multicultural, social justice education.

*Learning Outcome 2.4: Graduates will reflect on the consequences of their own philosophy and practices for planning and instruction in multicultural, social justice education.

1.

Instruments included critically reflective assignments and posts, case study and video critiques, and action research critiques in CI241 and action research mini-study in CI245

(Cohort 7, spring) and critically reflective case studies, problem-based video critiques and production, and action research critiques and projects in CI246, CI260 and CI298 (Cohort 6, fall).

19 12-Mar-14

2.

Data indicated that nearly all students scored “exemplary” on the scoring rubrics for each of these course and program requirements. Two Cohort 6 students received outstanding project awards. Another received the outstanding student award from the KSOEHD.

3.

Course syllabi for CI241, CI245, CI246, CI260, and the program’s culminating experiences


Goal 3: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

• Prepare professionals with an understanding of a broad range of assessment and evaluation strategies and the ability to use assessment to inform instruction consistent with multicultural, social justice education and through mixed methods, action research.

*Learning Outcome 3.1: Graduates will utilize technology to assist in the assessment of

teaching and learning in multicultural, social justice education.

1.

Instruments included critically reflective assignments and posts, case study and video critiques, and action research critiques in CI240, CI241, and action research mini-study in

CI245 (Cohort 7, spring) and critically reflective case studies, problem-based video critiques and production, and action research critiques and projects in CI246, CI260 and CI298

(Cohort 6, fall).

2.


3.

Course syllabi for CI240, CI241, CI245, CI246, CI260, and the program’s culminating experiences (Comprehensive Examination, Action Research Project and Action Research

Thesis) continue to be refined, given these data.

Goal 4: LEADERSHIP

• Foster the skills and dispositions necessary to become educational leaders in multicultural, social justice education and mixed methods, action research.

*Learning Outcome 4.1: Graduates will communicate research-based arguments for educational issues, policies, or research design in multicultural, social justice education.

*Learning Outcome 4.2: Graduates will become advocates for educational reforms that meet the needs of all students.

1.

Instruments included an action research mini-study in CI245 (Cohort 7, spring) and action research critiques and projects in CI246, CI260 and CI298 (Cohort 6, fall)

2.


3.

Course syllabi for CI245, CI246, CI260, and the program’s culminating experiences


20 12-Mar-14



Develop “Assessment” assignment to meet Goal 3. Pilot test in appropriate course. The C&I graduate committee will be responsible for developing an assessment assignment and selecting (or developing) the course (or courses) in which it will be used.



Goal 2: Collect data for the “Analysis of Classroom Teaching” assignment in CI 275.



Develop rubric to assess the CI 298/Project.



Develop and disseminate an Employer Survey to assess employers’ evaluation of our graduates, related to the goals and objectives.



Revise and disseminate an Alumni Survey to assess program quality related to the program goals and objectives.

2011-2012



Goal 2: Collect data for the “Analysis of Classroom Teaching” assignment in CI 275.


As discussed throughout this document, implementation of the re-conceptualized Learning Outcomes and SOAP will commence fall, 2012.

21 12-Mar-14

Appendix A

Learning Outcomes Aligned with Professional Standards

MAT

Learning Outcomes

Critical Questioner: Candidates will express a critical, questioning perspective (i.e., identify, describe, and analyze) about diverse theoretical paradigms about teaching, learning, and school reform, including those generated by marginalized groups, which situate schooling in a larger historic and political context.

Scholar Activist: Candidates will search, navigate, and critically consume

(read, analyze, and use) educational research.

Mixed Methods Action Researcher: Quantitative and Qualitative:

Candidates will use, apply, design, and implement research to bring about change and make improvements in their own professional environment.

Communicator: Candidates will communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing in a manner that commands professional attention.

Technological Navigator:

Students will use technology critically to access information, to communicate, and as a means of curricular and pedagogical support for higher level thinking.

Corresponding

CSTP

Reflective, Equity-Oriented Practitioner: Will demonstrate their knowledge of an ability to use the most appropriate culturally-responsive practices that support complex and challenging learning

Social Justice Collaborator: Candidates will work with communities of practice on behalf of social justice

A. Making subject matter comprehensible to students

B. Assessing student learning

C. Engaging and supporting all students in learning

D. Planning instruction and designing learning experiences for students

E. Creating and maintaining effective environments for student learning

F. Developing as a Professional

Educator

Corresponding

TPE

Corresponding NBPTS

Core Proposition

Corresponding

INTASC

Standard

Corresponding

IDEA

Standard

TPE 1: Specific pedagogical skills for subject matter instruction

#1 Teachers are committed to students and learning

#2 Teachers know the subjects that they teach and how to teach those subjects to students

#3 Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning

TRPE 2:

Monitoring student learning during instruction

TPE 3:

Interpretation and use of assessments

TPE 4: Making content accessible

TPE 5: Student engagement

TPE

6:Developmentally appropriate practices

TPE 7: Teaching

English learners

TPE 8: Learning about students

TPE 9:

Instructional planning

TPE 10:

Instructional time

TPE 11Social

Environment

TPE 12:

Professional, legal and ethical obligations

TPE 13:

Professional growth

#4 Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experiences

#5 Teachers are members of learning communities

1. Understanding the disciplines

4. Use of instructional strategies

6. Use of effective communication methods

.Assessment methods

2. Child development

3. Teaching diverse learners

7. Instructional planning

5. Motivation and group management

9. Reflective practitioner

10. Supportive relationships

Gaining factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends),

Learning fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories,

Learning to Apply Course Material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and decisions),

Acquiring skills in working with others as a member of a team,

Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of intellectual/cultural activity,

Developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in the field most closely related to this course,

Developing creative capacities (writing, inventing, designing, performing in art, music, drama, etc.),

Developing skill in expressing myself orally or in writing,

Learning how to find and use resources for answering questions or solving problems,

Developing a clearer understanding of, and commitment to, personal values,

Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view,

Appendix B

06/06/2009 Female 50

12/23/2009 Female 30-39

12/24/2009 Female 40-49

12/24/2009 Female 30-39

12/26/2009 Female 20-29

12/27/2009 Female 30-39

12/30/2009 Female 30-39

01/06/2010 Female 30-39

01/09/2010 Female 20-29

02/23/2010 Female 40-49

02/24/2010 Female 40-49

02/26/2010 Female 30-39

03/01/2010 Male

03/13/2010 Male

40-49

30-39

03/15/2010 Female 20-29

04/19/2010 Male 40-49

05/04/2011 Female 50

05/18/2012 Female 40-49

05/09/2013 Female 40-49

Gender: Current Age: Ethnicity:

Undergraduate degree from:

While pursuing credential and/or graduate degree:

# of semesters completed in MOST recent credential and/or degree program:

Semester you completed

MOST recent credential program

White Other CSU Worked full time

Hispanic

White

Other CSU

Other CSU

Hispanic Other CSU

Asian/Pacific Islander CSUF

Hispanic

White

White

Hispanic

Hispanic

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

CSUF Worked full time

National University Worked full time

UC

CSUF

Other CSU

Worked full time

Worked full time

White

Hispanic

White

African American

African American

White

White

Hispanic

Hispanic

Other CSU

Other CSU

USC

Pitzer College

Other CSU

USC

Other CSU

CSUF

CSUF

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

Worked full time

4

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

4 Fall

3 Summer

3

3 Spring

3

45

3

4 Spring 2011

4 Spring 2012

2 Spring 2013

Semester you completed

MOST recent degree program

Spring 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Spring 2010

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Spring 2010

Spring 2012

Fall 2009

If applicable, please indicate the

MOST recent credential program that you have completed at

Fresno State.

If applicable, please indicate the MOST recent degree that you have completed at Fresno

State.

Internship

Preliminary

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

MA in Teaching

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As a result of your preparation, please mark the following item

8 9

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ms indicating how well prepared you are after completing our MOST recent degree and/or credential program at Fresno State:

12 13 14 15

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1 I am prepared to use techniques to build rapport with students/clients.

2 I was taught how to organize my professional tasks.

3 I am prepared to respond with fairness to disabled, ethnically and linguistically diverse students/clients.

4 My preparation has upheld the concept that all individuals can learn.

5 I have proper theoretical grounding in my field.

6 I am familiar with the research in my field.

7 I have related my learning to actual situations in schools/professional settings.

8 I can assess/evaluate the progress of students/clients.

9 I know how to conduct myself in accordance with professional ethics and standards.

10 I have skills to successfully collaborate with others in the workplace.

11 I reflect upon and assess my own performance.

12 I feel that I received a helpful and appropriate amount of supervision/advisement.

13 I can think critically about theory and research in my field and put it into practice.

14 My preparation has modeled the value of life long learning.

15 Indicate the degree to which you feel prepared to assume a full-time position.

16 Please indicate the major strengths of the program:

17 Suggestions for potential program changes:

16

The support and immediate responses from the majority of the professors was wonderful. The readings were current and thought provoking and the assignments challenging. I have learned new ways to view and approach the students in my charge and I have lea

17

The readings were current, thought-provoking, and useful in the classroom. The Blackboard program worked well, for the most part. I always felt connected to my classmates and the pace of the work, while sometimes stressful, was not impossible. Teachers we the importance of providing students with an equity education according to thier diverse needs

Professors provide quick feedback, grading, and are available for support, clarification of assignments, and flexible with assignments.

A little more collaboration between professors might reduce the repetitive topics. More than once I found myself composing an essay on a topic I had covered the summer or semester before. Scores of 10/10 seemed pretty easy to earn. Some culminating proje

Program allows students who work full time to work at own pace. Program teaches how to interpret research. Program helps teachers analyze lessons and curriculum to make sure it is expressing all perspectives and is socially just. It brings awareness th

Being able to work with and learn from other students that are in the teaching field

Collaborate with other professors so that all post assignments earlier on the weekends so that fulltime working candidates could focus on Master's assignments during this time.

During the summer I enrolled in a Literature

Review course that explained the process in detail. If that could somehow be incorporated into the program, it would benefit a lot of students.

-The ability to take what I had learned and apply it to my own classroom -The ability to reflect on my practice -The reading gave a solid foundation on the topics at hand. There was a nice mixture of research design, classroom lessons, multicultural re

Collaboration with peers Depth of coverage on

MSJE

Do not change the blackboard format during the program. If a new version comes up, wait until the beginning of the next cohort to try it out...there is enough "new" to learn without having to learn a new format and still meet deadlines. Give suggestions

Overall, the program was great. The only real feedback I have is regarding when assignments are assigned in regards to their due date.

Because everyone in the MAT program works full time, it would be nice if ALL of the classes posted assignments so that

The online format made it all possible for me. I felt connected to my classmates, though we did not have in-person contact. The textbooks were interesting and thought-provoking.

Teachers need to coordinate a little more to avoid redundancy and get straight what constitutes an APA paper.

The interaction with instructors and classmate.

Feedback and evaluation from instructors was very useful in helping to complete the program, as well as in actual classroom applications.

Support from my mentor professor

There was some difficulty in accessing some of the video footage for viewing. The problems might have been related to my own "outdated technology", but it was a slight problem. start working of thesis/ action reserach project earlier on in the program to give adequate time to complete.

Loved the interactivity of online conversation between professors and students. Greater participation than a tradition classroom experience.

Other students, curriculum, collaboration with

National Agency

The professors are talented.

Dr. Yergat

Put resource articles online so don't have to look them up- takes too much time for working students

More actual teaching from Dr. Wise, not just busy work.

FALL 2008 & 2009

Teaching

Would you recommend California State University, Fresno to others for graduate education? Why or why not?



Yes. Convenient online MAT program.



Yes. It’s a great program for working teachers.



Yes. Online option.



Yes. Excellent online Master of Arts in Teaching program.



Yes. Excellent program, excellent educators, excellent communication.



Yes. Program director and coordinator and instructors are knowledgeable.



Yes. Partnership with Calstate Teach Program.



Yes. Online availability.



Yes. It was informative and manageable.



Yes. Great pacing and extremely relevant to CA classroom instruction.






Yes. It is cheaper.



Yes. Great experience with faculty and advisers.



Yes. Online convenience, rigorous, and meaningful readings and assignments.



Yes. Economical, knowledgeable faculty.



Yes. Accessible faculty and diverse curriculum.



Yes. The online MAT program is rigorous and meaningful but not impossible for those committed to it.



Yes. Flexibility, program course curriculum, time frame, transfer units, cost.






Yes. Excellent program competitive fees.



Yes. The pace was good, online access allowed me to complete my degree.



Yes. Family friendly program.



Yes. I enjoyed my experience.



Yes. Distance learning, inexpensive.



Yes. It was challenging and efficient/useful.






Yes. The activities are meaningful/distance learning option.



Yes. Faculty is very knowledgeable and have my interests at heart.

What was the most notable aspect of your graduate education?



Working relationship with peers.



Dr. Ullrich is amazing!



The online interactivity between students in Blackboard. Students shared their educational points of view from school districts around the state.



The curriculum and instructors were so motivating. I now would like to pursue my doctoral as a result of this program.



Consistent application of theory to practice and projects. The distinct focus on social justice and multiculturalism. Cohort communication too!



Exposure to research process.



Content focus.



Excellent methods for research.



Mini action research process.



The content focus.



Very good selection of academic literature and multicultural activities. Helped prepare me for a new year.



Learning about conducting and interpreting research and data.



Great tools for research.



The instructors were readily available and accessible for any questions or concerns.



My teaching ability and communication skills with students is improved!



Online education in conjunction with working full time allowed me to do work at flexible times. Great communication from professors.



The professors! Dr. Bohlin, Dr. Ullrich, Mr. DeVoogd.



Pre-project work. My study on environmental racism was eye opening.



Content focus social justice.



MAT program improved my teaching, transformed my thinking.



Collaborating using technology.



I was able to work on group assignment with fellow teachers on things I was doing in my classroom.



The learning experience.



The interaction with peers through technology.



Relates to my career.



I liked the social justice theme of my program.



The instructors provided timely and worthwhile feedback on all assignments.



Professors were willing to work with flexible schedules and quick to respond to inquiries

I may have had.



Orientation/advisement excellent entry into program.

Suggestions for improving the quality of your graduate program:



I had a grading issue with Dr. Hart and got no support to resolve a .01 so .89 became a B on my record.



Excellent program! My teachers were great. Can not think of any areas for improvement.



Was extremely content. Keep up the great job!



Trying online conferences.



Use pilot programs at beginning of a cohort, not in last semester of program.



Better communication.



Allow for later payment of tuition. We are teachers. Most of us are unemployed in the summer.



None needed!



Greater variety of courses—some repeated information and skills learned in a previous course.



Kremen graduate technician has bad attitude. Lecture DVDs might be nice when appropriate.



Option to immediately enter EdD program after completion.



Some teachers were far better than others in regards to posting assignments, comments, and grades. I think there should be a two-week grace period for teachers to get work back to students.



Financial aid is hard to get a hold of; perhaps an advisor to help find grants, etc.



Only qualitative not quantitative research.

SPRING 2009

Teaching




Yes. It was an extremely rewarding experience.



Yes. Affordable, good online discussions, I learned a lot.



Yes. Online coursework is manageable for full-time teachers.



Online program good for teachers.



Yes. Good support, high quality advisors



Yes. MAT program directly addressed my concerns about social justice in education.



Yes. Low cost.




Professors Harris, Tracz, Alamillo, and Fry Bohlin. The group work of Dr. Harris

and Dr. R. Bohlin (challenging/useful).



The reading and homework usually related directly to my students.



Quality of entire program.



Dr. Carol Bohlin, she has been so helpful and made me successful in the program.



Learning about multiculturalism



As stated above, current educational policy seems—in my opinion—to ignore issues

relating to social injustices. My program taught me how to deal with it.



What I gained from my project.



I liked the feeling of being a part of a small learning community in the MAT program

although the courses were taken online.




I had a lot of support from professors, especially when starting my lit. review. I had much less support for my project. I wish I would have known I needed to be more

independent on my project.



If possible, instructor feedback being quicker, this should be a model for teachers…

feedback must be timely!



Teachers of the courses need to recognize that we are working full time and have

families in addition to the course work. Sacrificing our family isn’t an option!



Dr. Harris was not supportive. I did not feel that she worked with all students equally.



Two professors could have been more responsive to their students and more challenging in their coursework.

SPRING 2010

Teaching




Yes. I enjoyed it, but it was very expensive.




Research.




Try to make it more affordable.

DATA NOT GATHERED FALL 2010 for COHORT 5

SPRING 2011

Teaching




Yes. Overall great experience.



Yes. Accessibility and convenience.




The professors in the MAT were wonderful and while the work was quite ambitious, I

always felt like I had support and guidance.



Development of my research skills.




Dr. Ullrich and Dr. Goodman were excellent and I appreciate all they did to help. Dr.

Ullrich was there when questions arose and, because he gave us several ways to reach

him, he was very accessible. He is definitely an asset to CSUF!



Collaboration between instructors involved in one semester for assignment alignment.

FALL 2011

Teaching




Yes.



Yes. The MAT program is fantastic. It is stimulation and challenging



Yes.



Yes. Convenience and responsible staff



Yes. Even with the increase in fees, it’s a great value for the quality of education received



Yes. Convenient, interesting, and quality



Yes. Very accessible online courses



Yes. Nice that I can do it from home without living in the area



Yes. Challenging and fulfilling. Cost effective



Yes. It was affordable, convenient, and very relevant



Yes. Professor’s commitment to my success. I felt extremely supported throughout the whole process



Yes. Excellent instructors



Yes. Effective online education



Yes. I had an excellent learning experience and was able to apply it in the classroom.



Yes. Convenience, quality of program low cost.




Dr. Ulrich’s support, organization content was valuable for the classroom.



The materials we evaluated. The readings/ resources were great. Walter Ulrich was fantastic, helpful, clear in his instructions. He is truly outstanding!



Research and reading others action research study



I would say that the instructors did on excellent job in creating a sense of communication in allowing us to interact with and learn from our instructors and our cohort



Ability to apply learning directly to our working classroom, action research!



Excellent feedback from instructors, program provided many opportunities to use experiences in the classroom



Research skills honored



I loved that it was online. So I could work on assignments at my convenience without set schedules



None. It was OUTSTANDING; I have grown very much from the experience.



Instructors who cared, helped and made learning enjoyable



Excellent professors who were always available and helpful



Fulfilling and relevance’s to my situation



The perspective and expertise of faculty




Keep up the good work because the program you provide is top quality and very official and accessible to educators for informing our instruction. I thought your kind of feedback was awesome and right on track!



For being an online program, more resources should be done online (application, etc.) too many extra forms and extra fees!



The website for students is not user friendly (myfresnostate)

 Provide faster feedback from CSU Fresno main office/ administration

Appendix C

MAT SOAP 2010-11

Mission Statement

The mission of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), as distinguished from the Master of Arts in Education

(MAE) in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, focuses specifically on applied advanced study in multicultural, social justice curriculum, instruction, and evaluation in K-12 classrooms . While many of the theoretical and research skills included in a conventional master's program are part of the online MAT, the program emphasizes practitioner-oriented knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to improve education in K-12 schools and close the achievement gap in the state's public schools .

Learning Goals and Objectives

The MAT is designed to develop knowledge, skills and dispositions in the following areas: Curriculum, Instructional

Strategies, Assessment, and Leadership consistent with multicultural, social justice education. Accordingly, woven throughout these four primary topics are the importance of action research-based knowledge , a multicultural and social justice perspective, technology as a tool, and professional growth.

Goal 1: CURRICULUM

Prepare curricular and instructional leaders with knowledge of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 1.1: Graduates will identify important theoretical and research-based characteristics of well-developed curricula and use them to analyze curricula in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 1.2: Graduates will identify historical and contemporary issues that have implications for curricular selection and change, including, but not limited to , second language learners, developing a global perspective, state and national standards, and "workplace know-how."

Objective 1.3: Graduates will identify ways technology can facilitate the goals of multicultural, social justice curriculum.

Goal 2: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Prepare professionals with the ability to analyze and implement effective instructional strategies, including technology, in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 2.1: Graduates will use learning and instructional theories and research findings to analyze instructional practices in multicultural, social justice education .

Objective 2.2: Graduates will implement instructional strategies that facilitate learning for cognitively, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse populations.

Objective 2.3: Graduates will develop techniques for utilizing technology as an instructional tool for multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 2.4: Graduates will reflect on the consequences of their own philosophy and practices for planning and instruction in multicultural, social justice education.

1 MAT SOAP 2011

Goal 3: ASSESSMENT

Prepare professionals with an understanding of a broad range of assessment strategies and the ability to use assessment to inform instruction consistent with multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 3.1: Graduates will evaluate various forms of research and/or evaluation used to document students' learning, teaching effectiveness, curricula, and programs in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 3 .

2: Graduates will develop tools to assess students' content knowledge and attitudes, and evaluate instructional practices or programs, recognizing the biases within different forms of assessment.

Objective 3.3: Graduates will utilize technology to assist in the assessment of teaching and learning in multicultural, social justice education.

Goal 4: LEADERSHIP

Foster the skills and dispositions necessary to become educational leaders in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 4.1: Graduates will communicate research-based arguments for educational issues, policies, or research design in multicultural, social justice education.

Objective 4 .

2: Graduates will become advocates for educational reforms that meet the needs of all students.

Objective 4.3: Graduates will assume leadership roles and utilize resources in their professional community consistent with multicultural, social justice education.

2 MAT SOAP 2011

CI240

CI241

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Curriculum and Instruction

List of Required Courses (21 units):

Social Justice and the Multicultural Classroom (3 units)

Teaching for Equity and Justice in the Multicultural Classroom: Practice into Theory

(3 units)

ERA 243

CI245

CI246

CI298

Research on Teaching in the Diverse Classroom: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

(3 units)

Investigating Practice in the Multicultural Classroom: Practitioner Research

(4 units)

Action Research in the Multicultural Classroom

(4 units)

Project (4 units)

: Capstone and Project Dissemination

List of Elective Courses (9 units):

9 units of credential coursework or graduate electives, selected from, but not limited to, the following courses:

Credited Units from CalStateTEACH credential program: No more than 9 units from CalStateTEACH can be credited to the MAT . Applicant needs to either: (1) submit a portfolio of evidence meeting necessary graduate level competencies in the theory and practice of curriculum development, evaluation, and revision and in the study and application of contemporary research on teaching and instruction or (2) furnish Teaching Performance Assessments verifying graduate level competencies in the following areas: Foundations of Education, Human Development,

English Language Development, Educational Technology, Multicultural Education, Advanced Curriculum Theory and Analysis, or Advanced Instructional Theories and Strategies.

CI210

CI212

CI213

Current Issues and Trends in Mathematics Education (3 units)

Mathematics Education in the Primary Grades (3 units)

Mathematics Education in the Middle Grades (in development, 3 units)

CI225

CI227

CI229

CI230

CI236

CI260

CI265

CI270

CI280T

Integration of Technology Across the Curriculum (3 units)

Current Issues and Trends in Educational Technology (3 units)

Designing Virtual Realities for Education (3 units)

Planning and Implementing Innovative Technology Programs (3 units)

Advanced Multicultural Education (in development, 3 units)

Reflective Teaching (3 units)

Professional Practice in Teaching (new course, currently 280T, 3 units)

Investigating Classroom Practices (new course, currently 280T, 3 units)

Advanced Topic (1 to 3 units; up to 9 units total on different topics)

CI290 Independent Study (1 to 3 units; up to 6 units total)

Other possible electives:

•

Courses in other education departments

•

Courses in departments outside the Kremen School of Education and Human Development, such as mathematics, science, history, linguistics, etc.

3 MAT SOAP 2011

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT): Curriculum and Instruction

Goals and Objectives Chart

Theory/Research

Goal 1:

Curriculum

Knowledge of multicultural, social justice curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation.

Goal 2: Instruction

Analyze and implement effective instructional strategies, including technology, in multicultural, social justice education

Goal 3: Assessment

Understanding of a broad range of assessment strategies and the ability to use assessment to inform instruction consistent with multicultural, social justice education

Goal 4:

Leadership

Skills and dispositions to become educational leaders in multicultural, social justice education

1.1: Identify important theoretical and research-based characteristics of well-developed curricula and use them to analyze curricula in multicultural, social justice curricula.

2.1: Use learning and instructional theories and research findings to analyze instructional practices in multicultural, social justice education .

3.1: Evaluate various forms of research and/or evaluation used to document students' learning, teaching effectiveness, curricula, and programs in multicultural, social justice education.

4.1: Communicate research-based arguments for educational issues, policies, or research design in multicultural, social justice education.

Multicultural

Perspective

1.2: Identify historical and contemporary issues that have implications for multicultural, social justice curricular selection and change.

2.2: Implement instructional strategies that facilitate learning for all students.

3 .

2: Develop tools to assess students' content knowledge and attitudes, and evaluate instructional practices or programs, recognizing the biases within different forms of assessment.

4.2: Become advocates for educational reforms that meet the needs of all students.

Technology as a tool

1.3: Identify ways technology can facilitate the goals of multicultural, social justice curriculum.

2.3: Develop techniques for utilizing technology as an instructional tool for multicultural, social justice education.

3.3: Utilize technology to assist in the assessment of teaching and learning in multicultural, social justice education.

Professional

Growth

2.4: Reflect on the consequences of their own philosophy and practices for planning and instruction in multicultural, social justice education.

4.3: Assume leadership roles and utilize resources in their professional community consistent with multicultural, social justice education.

4 MAT SOAP 2011

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT): Curriculum and Instruction

Objective by Course Matrix

Required Courses:

Objective/Course

CI240

CI241

CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT LEADERSHIP

1.1 1.2 1.3 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 4.3

PA PA PA S

S S S PA

S

PA

S

PA

S

PA

S

PA

S

PA

S

PA

PA

PA

P

P

S

S

ERA 243

CI 245

CI 246

CI 260 (Comp.

Exam)

CI298

CI299

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

PA

S

S

S

PA

PA PA

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** A ** **

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

P=Primary responsibility; S=Secondary responsibility; A=Assessed

*Objectives 4.2 and 4.3 will also be assessed through employer & alumni surveys and focus groups .

**Many of these objectives will be addressed in the comprhensive examination in CI260, Critical Pedagogy, MSJE,

Action Research Project, MSJE, Action Research Thesis depending on the topic selected.

Electives (9 units), including, but not limited to the following:

Objective/Course

CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT LEADERSHIP

1.1 1.2 1.3 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 4.3

CalStateTEACH

CS T 404

C

C

1212

I22

T

5

C I227

C I 2 29

C

C

1230

T260

C i2 6 5

C I270

C 280T

CT290*

*

PA

S

S

S

PA

P

S

S

PA

PA

P

P

PA PA

PA S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

PA

PA

P

P

PA

P = Primary responsibility; S = Secondary responsibility; A = Assessed

PA

PA

S

S

S

PA

S

S

S

PA

S

S

P

S

S

S

S

S

S

*The extent to which the objectives are covered in topics courses (CI 280T) or independent studies depends upon the topic(s).

S

S

P

5 MAT SOAP 2011

Assessment Plan:

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) - Curriculum and Instruction

Timeline for Development

2008-2009 Develop New Action Research Project Guidelines and Evaluation (Goals 1-3)

New Comprehensive Exam Option Guidelines and Evaluation (Goals 1-3)

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-13

New Thesis Exam Option Guidelines and Evaluation (Goals 1-3)

Focus Group (Goals 1-4)

New Exit Survey, given data from Cohorts 1-5 (Goals 1-3)

Alumni survey (Goals 1-4)

Employer Survey (Goals 1-4)

Test Project, Comprehensive Examination, and Thesis Guidelines and products with respect to

Goals 1-4 and CSTPs.

Re-conceptualize SOAP given data from Cohort 7 operating under new faculty Alamillo, Bathina, and Hart

Refine Project, Comprehensive Examination, and Thesis assessments and evaluation of student products with respect to Goals 1-4 and CSTPs.

Redesign program syllabi according to new Learning Outcomes.

Test assessments of Assignments and Signature Assignments

2009-2010

•

Create Advancement to Candidacy Checklist as part of Project/Thesis Guidelines packet, suitable for use by other graduate programs as well as MAE-C&I.

•

Create new Web page for MAE-C&I program to reflect current goals and courses.

•

Goals 1-4: Develop survey to assess students' project/thesis goals and initiate procedure of pairing CI 298 faculty with their CI 298 advisees 4 months before the formal start of the semester in which they will register for CI 298.

•

Goal 4 : CI 241 was revised and offered as a face-to-face elective with a service-learning component for the

MAE-C&I program for the first time.

•

Goals 1-4: Hold discussions among MAT faculty about program content and focus, and how to better support students going into their project/thesis semester through workshops, early advising, etc.

2010-2011

•

Goals 1-4: Revisit/revise program goals and objectives, as well as outcomes to be assessed--and the manner in which they are to be assessed.

•

Develop rubric to assess the CI 298/Project and CI299/Theis and Comprehensive Examination.

•

Develop and disseminate an Employer Survey to assess employers’ evaluation of our graduates, related to the goals and objectives.

•


2011-2012

•

Goal 2: Collect data from MJSE Action Research Project, Thesis and Comprehensive Examinations to assess whether relevant CSTPs are being met.

6 MAT SOAP 2011

•


2012-13

•

Re-design syllabi according to new new Learning Outcomes.

•

Collect data from Cohort 8 Assignments, Signature Assignments, etc. to track whether relevant LOs are being met.

•


7 MAT SOAP 2011

CHAPtER t WENt Y-SEVEN

Action Research for Critical Classroom and

Community Change

Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich, and Pedro Nava

Knowledge emerges through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry [we] pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other .

—Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed , 1970

L iving and teaching in the heart of agrarian California’s culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse and majority poor Central Valley, we take seriously the teaching of Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire . Freire—who “theorized that education is properly a process of learning to

‘read’ the world, and from his perspective, education and social activism are one and the same thing”

(Hinchey, 2008, p . 15)— inspired our pedagogy to go beyond the simple process of helping practicing teachers adapt to a school’s status quo . Rather, we furnish teachers with the tools for a transformative praxis that resists the social press for conforming to the forces of cultural reproduction in a school’s traditional process . Educating practicing teachers involves building upon, extending, and reconstructing their schooling experiences—particularly their past experiences as students and today as they study the practice and art of critical pedagogy .

Equity-oriented teacher educators must encourage individuals to design schooling to radiate a truly democratic way of life, to be consistent with the ideals of equity and justice, and to be continually informed by an action research that is, as John Dewey (Dewey, 1916, 1929, 1938) noted nearly a century ago, “educative” 1 (e .g ., Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009; Kincheloe, 2010; Zeichner, 2009) . This objective can be accomplished by addressing issues of cultural responsiveness between teachers and students; in doing so, the academic engagement, achievement, and productive social action increases in students and teachers alike . The action research that we employ is both critical and predominantly qualitative .

As equity-oriented teacher educators committed to a multicultural and social justice education, we have always been humbled by the “triple-consciousness” needed in this type of work . How do we simultaneously (1) model multicultural, social justice education (MSJE), (2) transform the perspec-

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 391 conditions, and (3) remain steadfast in our resolve that an emancipatory orientation to teaching and learning is developmentally appropriate and egalitarian (Ullrich, 2001)? One answer is that we need to continuously exemplify these beliefs through an action research-based pedagogy and praxis based upon the example of Paulo Freire . Freire’s “conscientization” is the enduring example of awakening through the thoughtful and critical examination of one’s experience while fighting for equitable outcomes for all students (May & Sleeter, 2010; Sleeter & Grant, 2009; Ullrich, 1992; Ullrich & Roessler, 1997) .

We hold such aims sacred and evident . However, support for MSJE is far from ubiquitous, and these purposeful and liberatory goals are fraught with obstacles .

As a result of the institutionalization of high-stakes testing as well as the stultifying effects of a standardized, standards-based education the past decade, our experiences in equity-oriented teacher education yield the following generalizations . First, MSJE informed by educative action research by practicing teachers is rare, even though they can be rigorously defended on academic, personal, and socially responsive developmental principles (Duncan-Andrade & Morrell, 2008; Dewey, 1904, 1916,

1938; Kliebard, 1995) . Second, while MSJE curriculum clearly incorporates pupils’ interests and capacities while simultaneously helping them to work against inequities and injustices that detract from so many young lives inside and outside of school, it is difficult even for those receptive to equity-oriented perspectives to defend such work on academic and developmental grounds . Third, since the passage of NCLB and the current Race to the Top legislation and the associated pressures of rigid, standardsbased accountability systems in education at all levels, most of our graduate students show greater resistance towards becoming students of emancipatory teaching, let alone becoming a “transformative intellectual” (Aronowitz, 2000) . In short, most of our beginning teachers are reluctant to simultaneously confront and redesign existing school conditions to be more consistent with democracy, equity, and justice—particularly during this era of high-stakes accountability for pupils and their teachers . To counter the hegemonic forces of mainstream educational politics, we needed to implement a strong action research process to support the structural changes a MSJE required .

Our purpose in this chapter is to present an integrated picture of critical qualitative research conducted by graduate students representing both an online, post-credential, Masters of Arts in Teaching

(MAT) program and a doctoral student’s investigations anchored in recent ethnographic work within

California’s Central Valley . Through these examples of action research, we hope to provide in-depth understandings upon which to base more insightful, equity-oriented teacher education . During the last decade, many universities (and school districts) have established MSJE teacher education (and professional development) programs to respond to the many challenges facing public education, particularly those associated with the demographic imperative (Zeichner, 2009) and culturally responsive teaching

(Gay, 2010) outlined above . As these programs continue to gain momentum, critical questions become salient . On the one hand, there are few analyses of the classroom dynamics that emerge when diversity variables (e .g . race/ethnicity, gender, class, language, disability) are focal points in these programs or of the relationship of these dynamics to practicing teachers’ understanding of equity-oriented teaching and learning . On the other, few studies actually examine what happens in public school classrooms as practicing teachers introduce MSJE informed by action research methods . Like others (e .g ., Cochran-

Smith & Lytle, 2009; Noffke & Somekh, 2009; Zeichner, 2009), we can provide evidence that when individuals—practicing teachers and their pupils—are provided opportunities to critically analyze and reflect on issues of diversity in school settings, their understanding of the importance of equity is enhanced, and concern for school as a site for social justice is encouraged .

Critical Qualitative Studies as Fuel for the Fight

Let us confess that our schools have never built a new social order, but have always in all times and in all lands been the instruments through which social forces were perpetuated . If our new curriculum revi-

392 Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich and Pedro Nava sion is to do better, it must undertake an acceptance of the profound social and economic changes which are now taking place in the world . (Bond, 1935, p . 68)

This quotation illustrates a tradition seemingly disconnected from many common understandings of

MSJE and educative action research . Yet for us and others (Noffke & Somekh, 2009), it raises issues that are at the core of equity-oriented teacher education and educative action research . First, it demands recognition of the essentially “conserving” function of schooling and highlights the need for educational responses to profound structural changes in society . Second, it comes out of a longstanding tradition of academic literature refuting the dominant narrative of educational history that claims education as a major vehicle for social advancement for subjugated peoples . Finally, it captures major questions that have haunted educators for years, namely to what extent and in what ways action research in educational work can play a role in building a “new social order” (Counts, 1932/78)—one in which economic and social justice are central aims (Noffke & Somekh, 2009) .

As examples of critical qualitative research, we have selected five studies conducted within the classrooms of our MAT students and an ethnography from a representative Central Valley community . These examples reflect the real issues of oppressed, farm-working, and predominantly immigrant

Spanish-speaking communities . All of these studies touch upon core issues of literacy and emancipatory education . In the first study, English teacher Raymundo Sanchez (all research-related place and person names are protected) exemplifies the calling of John Dewey to be ”reflective .“ As Mr . Sanchez tests his own curriculum in the real world of practice, he is able to bring a dynamic, action research process into the unique world of his classroom . Mr . Sanchez describes his process as follows:

I have been teaching for four years in a low-income school situated in a small community located in central California . I teach an English Language Development (ELD) course . All of the students enrolled in my ELD course are considered Hispanic or Latino of Mexican descent . The majority of my ELD students have been living in the United States for no more than two years . Nearly 85% of the students receive reduced or free lunch . The majority of the students that attend the school are considered Hispanic or Latino . The school site has a total of 172 ELLs, and nearly 98% of the ELLs’ primary language is Spanish .

In retrospect, identifying and implementing successful instructions for ELLs (English Language

Learners) in the public education system challenged my pedagogical considerations . Prior to conducting my research, I superficially believed that my experiences of schooling as a bilingual were sufficient to fully understanding the context of my ELLs’ English development . Furthermore, I ostensibly assumed that the difficulties my students encounter academically and socially were parallel to my lived experiences as a Filipino American as I struggled to acquire both my native and secondary languages . Based on my experiences during my primary and secondary schooling, I held on to the belief that acquiring and mastering basic skills was the prime objective to buffer the difficulties of reading, writing, and speaking in English .

As a novice ELD educator, I often questioned the efficiency of my teaching strategies when assisting ELLs to acquire a second language . Did I integrate a sufficient amount of textual materials that are conducive and appropriate to the process of my students’ language acquisition? Did my students benefit from collaborative learning activities? Were the content and rigor of the homework assignments permissible to allow them to deem their learning significant? These lingering questions became my pedagogical concerns .

I vividly remember several of my ELLs’ adamant questions after I assigned a lesson that required them to construct simple sentences based on the assigned weekly vocabulary words . At the time, the students were exercising their skills to incorporate basal vocabulary words into simple sentences . In spite of their progressive ability to convey the required skills to form simple sentences and despite their ability to identify rudimentary nouns, adjectives, and verbs in given sentences, my students’ apprehensive reaction subsequent to assigning vocabulary homework furthered my concern . The students simply demanded reasons for their learning . In response, I justified their assignment from a context-centered point of view .

I explained that the assignment was part of the process of learning how to hone their command of the

English grammar . I also explained to them the amount of basic skills they needed to acquire in prepara-

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 393 tion for state-mandated exams such as the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) . In response, my students’ unsatisfactory facial expressions rendered my defeated explanation .

My instructional practices ostensibly overlooked the underlying implications of their uncompromising demand for the significance of their learning . My concerns overlooked my students’ apprehension . I should have recognized the possible questions implicated as a result of my students’ request for the underlying objectives of the curriculum that goes beyond mastering basic skills . I should have also considered the following questions . How could my curriculum assist students to acknowledge the underlying importance of reading, writing, and speaking in English relative to their lived experiences? How will their second language assist them in other classes? More importantly, do my lessons provide ample opportunities for ELLs to truly deem applicable to their social and cultural contexts within and outside of the school community?

The purpose of conducting this qualitative research was to enhance my ELLs’ English acquisition by utilizing their social and cultural identities and experiences . The central question (and sub-questions) for this phenomenological study are the following: In what specific and measurable ways can instruction that utilizes multimodal mediums (e .g ., students utilize photography, artwork, and comic strips to convey understanding) for high school ELLs that have CELDT level 1 in an ELD class promote English vocabulary by connecting their social and cultural identities? In particular, what aspects of integrating comic strips into the instruction of figurative language (e .g ., metaphor, simile, personification, and symbolism) do ELLs consider helpful or troublesome based on questionnaires and one-on-one interviews?

How do ELLs view themselves adapting to life in the United States based on the analysis of their poem, artwork, and photography subsequent to lessons on simile, metaphor, personification, and symbolism .

This research helped me to determine specific and measurable ways that the use of multimodal mediums for ELLs considered to have a CELT level 1 could promote English vocabulary . The products of my students’ multimodal poems demonstrated to me that multiple modes of conveying information to elicit students’ understanding are an important integration to my instruction . Integrating the child-centered approach to teaching balanced the curriculum’s overpowering focus on mastering basic reading, writing, and speaking skills . As a result of this research, I have learned some of my students’ social outlook pertaining to the difficulties of field workers picking oranges . I have learned that some of my students do reflect on their inspiration and difficulties to bridge their cultural and social perspectives to that of their new homeland . I have learned some of my students’ experiences of love expressed in their poetry . I have learned the pride my students have for their family member’s occupation . Most importantly, I have learned that a context-centered approach to teaching alone is not sufficient to the experience and development of ELLs’ secondary acquisition .

What Mr . Sanchez has described is the quintessence of Dewey’s call for reflective practitioners

(1933) . Sanchez became motivated to change his standard, structured English instructional approach when he used the formative assessment of looking into his students’ eyes and observed their blank stares . “The students simply demanded reasons for their learning .” Being sensitive to the students, following Dewey, and being a thoughtful educator, Mr . Sanchez was able to conceive of a dynamic, culturally complex set of lessons . The example demonstrates the dual nature of action research: both the students and the teachers share in the process of learning .

*****

Eliza Cardoza has been teaching English language learners within California’s Central Valley for many years . As a critical qualitative researcher, Ms . Cardoza exemplifies the work of the research bricoleur

(Kincheloe, 2010) . According to Kincheloe, the research bricoleur seeks a new “vantage point” from which to challenge the dominant discourse .

The researchers are no longer merely obtaining information, but are entering a space of transformation where previously excluded perspectives (in this case the student’s point of view) operate to change consciousness of both self and the world . Thus multicultural research in bricolage changes not only what one knows but also who one actually is . (Kincheloe, 2010, p . 42)

394 Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich and Pedro Nava

In Ms . Cardoza’s work, the challenge is to ignite within her students a passion for learning despite the school’s support of standards-based assessments and credit banking (Freire, 1970) . As a feminist,

Ms . Cardoza is also keenly aware of the essential role of feelings in the education of her students . “Feminist understandings are important to both men and women who are researchers, as they open doors to previously excluded knowledges” (Kincheloe, 2010, p . 31) . Ms . Cardoza’s research bricolage reflects the pedagogy of love (Freire, 1970) .

As a social justice educator, I view my role to be a facilitator for my students . I want to validate that the feelings they may have from situations of discrimination or abuse are actually injustices in society, not just isolated feelings they’re experiencing . I work in an agricultural town . This community’s assets include a no-nonsense attitude where people take a direct approach about speaking their thoughts . The town rallies around community events and winning high school teams . Unfortunately, crime and gangs do play a part in the neighborhoods where most of my students reside . The town is quick to criticize, but this is mainly in the interests of wanting the best for their children and their futures .

Teachers share the feeling that their students all have great potential, and we are frustrated when we see students who do not see this same promise in themselves . Considering potential , I believe the

ESL students I teach can be successful for several reasons . My students are immigrants, many of whom are non-citizens at this point . They came to the U .S . along with their parents’ dreams . Usually children immigrate without having had a choice in the matter, and they hold either resentment or fear of new cultural experiences . Once they are given opportunities where they can be in control of something that affects their lives—their education—they often rise to the challenge . Challenges bring strength of character, and I always try to present challenges in a positive light . Many of my students also have to show determination—determination to find time to study while being responsible for younger siblings or determination to do well at school while working to add to their family’s income . In this current school year, ninety-seven percent of my students are Hispanic, one is Punjabi, and another is Egyptian .

Through my studies of social justice and my experiences as an educator, my attention was especially drawn to the issue of high-stakes testing in my subject matter of English as a second language . Not only have I observed effects of these assessments on my students, but I also wondered about the effects of high-stakes testing on teachers . My researchable question is in what specific and measurable ways does high-stakes testing affect the teachers’ role in secondary ESL classrooms? I conducted a phenomological research study . Initially, I read over twenty professional journal articles regarding prior studies on high-stakes testing ramifications on minority populations, teacher workload and burnout factors, high schools that have produced successful high-stakes test results with ESL students, and comparisons of types of achievement tests . Secondary ESL teachers and teachers working mainly with English language learners—not to be confused as the same—were then sent an on-line survey . The survey included open-ended questions, ranking questions, and multiple-choice responses . Topics which the participants considered were the pressure felt for accountability of high-stakes test results, teaching style, curricular issues, changes perceived over time, and awareness of different aspects of high-stakes testing, After receiving the completed survey responses, I first organized the data into two categories, teachers who had had significant amount of ESL experience and teachers who had little ESL experience, but who taught a high percentage of English language learners . Next, I analyzed the participants’ responses for those indicating a negative or a positive effect of the high-stakes testing climate . Finally, I reviewed all my research findings to make sure ESL teachers’ roles were specifically addressed, along with a discussion of how secondary ESL teachers face greater injustices . The compiled results indicated several benefits that have developed due to the challenges and demands of getting improved scores on high-stakes tests, although there are equal or greater negative ramifications on both ESL students’ and teachers’ motivational levels, as well as a blow to the level of respect given to the professionalism of teachers by administrators and politicians .

Throughout my research study, I have learned that injustice is apparent in situations where any of us are involved; it is not an inequity of “those other people .” Although injustice is systemic and institutionalized, I found evidence of how groups of people—parents and educators in my study – have proactively taken the incentive to create more just alternatives for ESL education . These alternative schools, programs, and means of assessment also meet the political demands for improved student test results even more successfully than the methods for “improvement” strongly recommended for use in the majority of schools, districts, and states . This evidence of successful collaboration of stakeholders in

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 395 students’ education tells me not to lose my sense of optimism for my ESL students . I need to stay in the teaching profession because my students need an advocate who recognizes their daily growth and knows that they are valuable individuals for more reasons than merely the scores they produce on standardized tests .

Ms . Cardoza faces some daunting obstacles in her resistance to the school administration’s almost exclusive attention to the state-mandated assessments . But her courage to resist is reinforced by the data she collects from her students . As Cardoza knows, “Once they (my students) are given opportunities where they can be in control of something that affects their lives—their education—they often rise to the challenge .” Kincheloe (2010) would concur: “Indeed, bricoleurs refuse to be confined to one cultural way of seeing and making meaning” (p . 34) . This is the true critical qualitative research methodology at work supporting a resistance to testing’s domination of the instructional process .

*****

Juan Gomez is a third-grade teacher who has a clear passion for critical qualitative research . His extensive travel and foreign teaching experiences have given him a global vision of possibility . This is a CQR ready for action . As John Willinsky (2001) observed, “In the study of education, the action in action research is located in and around the classroom where teachers teach students, or better yet they educate each other” (p . 329) . Mr . Gomez clearly loves this process of reciprocal learning .

I am a teacher who has struggled to find his way since I first began six years ago in Quito, Ecuador .

While employment in Ecuador did not prepare me for the rigorous commitment of teaching and being obligated to standards and assessments, it did teach me about being the outsider in a classroom . This position required a certain openness to learn about the students’ culture, families, and way of life, while learning the most successful ways for them to grasp the English language . This experience translated quite well to my current situation as I ensure that my students are not left to feel excluded . My students feel comfortable in our classroom . They know that I respect them and will keep them safe while doing my best to teach them the California third-grade standards .

As a social justice educator, it is my responsibility to familiarize my students with the world around them . Though my classroom lacks diversity, by introducing different literature and expanding on lessons with various cultures, my students can learn about the various cultures in our world . Being in such a small community also allows the students to recognize that coexistence requires compassion for others .

Students need to understand as they grow up and leave their community that they will experience events and people that do not think or act like them . They will need to adapt and remember what they have been taught in regards to acceptance and caring for others .

The community I teach has many assets to include close-knit families, ambition for their young students and up-to-date technology at the student’s disposal; most important is the hard work demonstrated daily . Most of our parents and adults go to work before the sun rises and come home after the sun goes down, sacrificing comfort for the needs of their children . In appreciation, these students want to make their families proud, striving to do their best . In each of the four years I have been a part of this working community, the school pride increases . This year we had the most family involvement on campus and in our school functions . The community is working hard to establish connections with the school for student success .

The students that I teach will be successful! They have a great attitude towards education requiring encouragement and nurturing . Many of the students in my class had a taste of success in second grade and they liked it, they now crave it, striving to achieve better scores with each lesson or assignment with success in mind . Students will also succeed because of my commitment to them . I want the best for them and I try to provide them with lifelong lessons that challenge, encourage, and promote personal growth . My students will succeed because I will guide them toward successful behaviors . I will teach them that mistakes and stumbles are acceptable if we will learn from those mistakes . At the end of our school year we’ll be able to reflect on the mistakes that we learned from .

This study helped to identify the best program for students to comprehend English while allowing them to feel comfortable in the classroom . The programs being studied were an immersion program and mainstream English Program using SDAIE strategies . The identified issues included the studies of


English Learners’ successes and weaknesses in order to best help the students . Since my school is comprised of mostly English language learners, I studied different ideas on how to best support my English language learners and how to help them adjust better to a classroom with proficient English language learning . We looked at the Mainstream English Program Using SDAIE strategies as it compares to Structured English Immersion Program.

In my research, I was responsible for obtaining data, interviewing participants, discerning data on teacher’s observations from videos taken, and conducting the observations in my classroom . The data was collected from student class work, homework, teacher’s observations, my observations and assessments . By collecting these data, I was able to gain a more accurate view of what the students’ needs were and where they could be the most successful . The videotaped lessons allowed me to observe the various teaching strategies of my colleagues as well as my own use of the strategies, the similarities and differences, providing insight regarding whether or not the data correlated with the lessons that were taught .

Observing the teachers that use an English program that implements SDAIE strategies (which is the majority of my school) and comparing the data to the teachers that implement an immersion program provided me the data validity needed to give this project the integrity needed . The use of teacher and student surveys and interviews provided me with the evidence that was used to determine how teachers felt in the environment and how they felt students responded, but more importantly I will have an indication of how students think, what is comfortable, and what provides a sense of accomplishment or frustration in the two different techniques of teaching .

The results indicate a greater improvement for the students in an English immersion program . The students stated that they felt more comfortable learning English with students with similar challenges .

They felt that they could take more risks and didn’t have to worry about mistakes being made . The data shows the success of immersion programs at our site and at other similar sites . Based on this success, I have learned that students want to learn English, but more importantly, they are more concerned about the non-judgmental atmosphere that the other students and teacher can provide . The students want to feel like they won’t be punished or mocked for incorrect answers . Going forward in my career, this project has showed me that the students crave acknowledgment and freedom to explore their thoughts and ideas; I have the responsibility to provide this atmosphere .

By providing a natural approach and maintaining a “low anxiety situation” (Krashen, 2003), Mr .

Gomez has synthesized the social justice multicultural education notions of valuing the experiences of the second language learner . Using action research, Gomez gleans an assessment yielding tremendous accountability in support of his thesis, that the non-judgmental atmosphere of English immersion is an effective tool for second language learning .

*****

Ms . Sharon Johnson is a second grade teacher, teaching in one of the most violent and economically challenged communities in California’s East Bay . Because of the enormity of the community challenges,

Ms . Johnson has chosen a participatory action research design to create a collaborative process among her classroom constituency (Hendricks, 2009) . Her research included the use of Learning Centers based upon Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory . This is an excellent example of participatory action research because it follows Hendricks’ (2009) definition of being “emancipatory (the action researcher is able to explore practices within the limits of social structures), critical (the action researcher’s goal is to challenge alienation, unproductive ways of working, and power struggles), and transformational

(challenging both theory and practice)” (p . 10) .

I chose to participate in the Kremen School of Human Development’s Master of Arts in Teaching program because of its emphasis in multicultural and social justice education . The students at my school are approximately 70 percent African American, 25 percent Latino, and 5 percent Pacific Islander . Over

95 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a common marker for poverty . The city was recently recognized as the 9 th most dangerous city in the United States . Furthermore, my school is situated in the Iron Triangle area of the city, an area of higher violence and poverty .

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change

I have always held the belief that it is a teacher’s duty to create an environment that is a safe haven for all students and conducive to learning . My role as a teacher at Richville College Prep K-5 Charter

School carries with it some additional expectations . When teaching from a multicultural and social justice perspective I need to allow students to discover their own heritage, create lessons that embed standards within the context of social justice, and educate my students about how to create change . My future as a teacher will be a constant evolution of my practice to meet the needs of whoever my students may be . I have been working on identifying problems in my classroom and posing questions that get me thinking about how to reach the goal of social change . I have found this method of education to be a powerful force in moving our educational system to a better place .

I am proud to work in the Richville College Prep K-5 Charter School community because I am motivated by the excitement of many parents . Although parent participation is still lower than the school would like, it is on the rise . The enthusiasm of the parents that do participate is infectious, and it is clear that they want something different than their public schools can offer . The City of Richville, though, labeled negatively at the present time, is a city of rich history for the State of California and the United

States military . The Kaiser Shipyards were the site of immense warship production during World War

II . The never-before-seen speed at which the ships were built is often hailed as the reason for the United

States gaining the upper hand against the Japanese during the war . Furthermore, it was women who were building these ships . Richville College Prep’s permanent school site will be the renovated historic building that once housed the first state-run preschool, created to care for the children of these women .

I would like for my students to learn as much as possible about the rich history of their city and work to begin changes that will restore its former reputation .

I believe the students I teach can be successful because they are so inquisitive . They are constantly asking questions and have a desire to know everything . Much of this may be due to their age, and I want to cultivate this thirst . I fear that if I do not cultivate this thirst now, it will be lost as they grow . I believe that allowing a child to question, explore, and investigate while young will keep these doors open throughout life .

The cultures of the students I serve are a mixture of African American and Latino with some Pacific

Islander . The majority of Latino students and all of the Pacific Islanders are also English language learners . This poses additional challenges in the classroom as we do not yet have a school-wide ELD program and all of the ELD requirements must be met by the classroom teacher . This has pushed me to work heavily on vocabulary with the use of visual aids for all students, and I have seen the benefits of this work among English-language learners and native English-speakers .

My researchable question is: in what specific and measurable ways do Learning Centers improve mathematic concept attainment among English language learners, students performing below proficiency, and students of a low socio-economic status?

After obtaining parents’ written permission, I identified and sorted my participants . Some students fell into more than one group . The participants are 23 second-grade students attending Richville College Prep K-5 Charter School that have been receiving academic intervention . Of the 44 second graders enrolled in the school, 23 have been identified as needed academic intervention based on school-wide benchmark assessments . Due to one student moving to a different school, complete data exists for 22 of the 23 students .

The subgroups studied included English language learners (6 students), students of low socio-economic households as determined by qualification for free or reduced lunch (21 students), and students still performing below levels of proficiency by the date of the most recent benchmark assessment (9 students) .

I focused on designing Learning Centers that appeal to Multiple Intelligences and content chosen based on areas of need . The three instruments for this investigation are (1) the Multiple Intelligence assessment obtained from an online source, (2) a pre-test obtained from the Assessment Guide of the school’s mathematics program, and (3) an identical post-test to be administered at the end of the study period .

The procedure for the Multiple Intelligence assessment was to read each yes or no question as students circle their responses . The procedure for the pre- and post-tests was to read each question out loud while projecting a copy of the test on the StarBoard . These assessments were read out loud so that they accurately assessed what was intended and were not influenced by the reading abilities of the students .

Students filled in the bubble for their answer choice on their copy of the test . A piece of scratch paper was also be provided .

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Results of the Multiple Intelligences survey indicate no students identified with Natural Intelligence, however there was a heavier concentration of students that identified with Linguistic, Logical-

Mathematical, Musical, and Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligences . Centers activities were designed to appeal to these four intelligences while also incorporating some activities that appeal to Spatial, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal Intelligences .

When interpreting the results of the pre- and post-test by standard, I calculated that there were seven standards in which less that 60% of students chose the correct answer . Of the seven standards,

I chose to focus on the four that I felt were most representative of their areas of need based on what I observe in the classroom . One question on the test that measured proficiency in measurement was not an accurate measure of their concept attainment . The question was poorly designed and results were not utilized when choosing content .

After implementation of the Learning Centers, the post-test was administered . There was a measured increase in the concept attainment for each of the focus concepts except those relating to counting and manipulating money . In addition, the average score of each of the subgroups increased . The greatest increase in performance was among English-language learners followed by students performing below proficiency, then students of low-income households . These results may suggest that incorporating

Learning Centers, when planned based on student need and type of intelligences of the students, can significantly increase student achievement .

Since a classroom is by no means a static environment and good teachers are ever adjusting to meet the needs of the students, there are a few confounds to this study . First, at the same time that the study was being implemented, there was also heavy instruction in math vocabulary during the regular math period . This may attribute to the significant gains made by the English language learner subgroup . Also, there were a few content standards assessed that demonstrated a drop in proficiency . This may be due to the heavy focus on other standards resulting in students being “out of practice .”

Overall, the results of the study to imply that Learning Centers can be beneficial to increasing the performance of students in a mathematics classroom . With proper planning and well-thought-out activity choices in addition to quality basic instruction, Learning Centers can be a beneficial teaching strategy . I will continue to use Learning Centers in my classroom in order to ensure that all students are receiving the support and style of instruction that they need to be successful .

Ms . Johnson’s participatory action research is critical in its relevance to her daily practice within one of America’s most challenging communities . Ms . Johnson needed to test a question specific to her unique situation, and her choice of building a community of learners within her second-grade classroom was both empowering and life-enhancing for her students (Mills, 2007) . Rather than taking a standardized, cookbook approach to the problems of achievement, Ms . Johnson hit on the solution by carefully examining a unique and personally meaningful path using multiple intelligence theory . This study created an excitement for learning in her classroom .

*****

Danvi Tu is a dedicated teacher/researcher . Her teaching follows Sumara and Carson’s (2001) conceptualization of action research as a lived practice . In their view, the teacher/researcher does more than simply apply research techniques within their classroom . “Rather, action research is a lived practice that requires that the researcher not only investigate the subject at hand but, as well, provide some account of the way in which the investigation both shapes and is shaped by the investigator” (Sumara & Carson,

2001, p . xiii) . What Ms . Tu demonstrates to us is that these data are her life and her lived practice .

I am a teacher by definition, but a learner by choice . I am constantly observing, reflecting, and seeking to find opportunities to grow as a professional . From all of the different workshops and classes I attend,

I take away so many fresh ideas . The tricky thing is being able to aggregate all the data and pulling out what I need to work with the students I have . Whenever I plan for a lesson, I am always thinking of my students first: What do they need to know? What will be interesting to them and make learning stick?

How can they apply this to their lives?

As a social justice educator, this is my observation of my current role as a teacher: In teaching the primary grades, there has been little emphasis on writing besides what is expected of us from state

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change standards . For example, in third grade, students are taught to write a descriptive paragraph, yet they are expected to write an essay in four different genres at the end of fourth grade for the state writing exam .

Eight months is simply not enough time for students to learn all the skills necessary to tackle such a daunting task, especially considering 70% of my students are English language learners . Students need a lot more exposure to quality writing and time to practice writing in the primary grades . Many students come into my third-grade classroom unable to write a complete sentence . Some still struggle with spelling three-letter words . They are unmotivated to write and find story prompts boring and uninspiring .

The challenge is finding ways to motivate these students to write profusely with creativity and accuracy .

How can I structure my writing time to be meaningful? I need to be able to teach my students not only the mechanics of writing, but also the craft of it . How can I plan for the year ahead, so that by the time my students are in fourth grade, they are not completely overwhelmed by the state exam?

The community I work in has many assets . It is diverse and brings in different perspectives, ideas, and wonderful food . All parents want their children to be successful, and are willing to help out if given the opportunity . Families are working class, but they can contribute in other ways through chaperoning on field trips, volunteering in the classroom, or donating supplies . They can come into the classroom and share different cultural traditions and stories with the students .

I believe the students I teach can be successful because they are eager to learn and are pleased when they see how much they have accomplished . Some students are still struggling to sound out letters while others are on to chapter books . This has forced me to differentiate my teaching . In reading, we split up into groups of reading ability . For math, I also differentiate with the level of difficulty I give to students .

By the end of the year, students will have made progress, whether it’s a year’s worth of growth or are working beyond grade level .

The language and culture of the students I serve is a mix of Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and

English . Many students have parents who came from another country, including Vietnam, Mexico,

Philippines, and Cambodia . I enjoy teaching such a diverse group of students because we learn so much from each other . I enjoy hearing their stories and they enjoy hearing mine . It has also broadened my horizons by searching for books and other literature that will speak to my students, written by people who look like them .

My researchable question was: In what specific and measurable ways does the use of writer’s workshop motivate English language learners to write creatively, use detail, and apply correct grammar skills to their writing? Sub-questions included: How can writer’s workshop increase motivation for elementary school writers? Is it possible to integrate teaching the craft of writing with the mechanics of writing?

What components should be added to aid English language learners? Can writer’s workshop be combined with other writing programs such as Step Up to Writing? Will the workshop format translate to higher writing scores?

My qualitative research design is an inquiry on the use of writer’s workshop inside a classroom and the effects it has on students’ motivation to write . I gathered interviews, observations, and documents from my students . Specifically, I conducted an unstructured, open-ended interview with each of my students on their attitudes towards writing and took interview notes . I also gave them a survey on writing attitudes before the inquiry and at the end of the inquiry . I gathered field notes by conducting ongoing observations of my students while they were writing . Finally, I examined writing produced from my students throughout the inquiry to see their progress . To grade student writing, I used a rubric that scored students on having a story structure, details, conventions, and creativity .

I have learned that all students possess wonderful stories in their hearts . They are all capable of writing these stories if given the opportunity . They can be engaged to write even if they hated writing before .

Implementing writer’s workshop in my classroom has led to students writing for longer periods of time, writing longer pieces, and being reflective of their behavior and writing . I also learned that I was not able to bring all of my students’ writing up to proficiency, but many factors came into play, including English learners . However, I still celebrate the small successes that all of my students were able to achieve . For example, I had one student who would only write one sentence at the beginning of the year . I knew he was capable of so much more, but refused to pick up his pencil to write . By the end of the inquiry, he had written an entire story with a beginning, middle, and end . He had many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but the success is in having him motivated enough to get his story out .

Overall, all of my students became better writers, both in their craft of writing and in mechanics .

They were also more motivated to write and viewed writing in a positive light . Going forward in my career, I will continue to implement and refine writer’s workshop in my classroom . I will integrate writ-

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400 Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich and Pedro Nava ing across all subject areas, especially in reading and science . Writer’s workshop will be a constant part of my schedule, no matter what grade I teach, because all students can benefit from it .

Ms . Tu’s work “shows the connections between researcher and subject of inquiry” (Sumara &

Carson, 2001, p . xvi) . In her own words, she iterates, “my research met Creswell’s (2009) criteria because the inquiry took place in a natural setting, in the classroom where students normally learn, the researcher (myself) was a key instrument in collecting data, and multiple sources of data were used .” In this case, the data are a living part of Ms . Tu’s practice as a teacher . She stands up for her students and actively includes them in the writing process: an engagement that contagiously connects them to their learning and their teacher .

The Pedagogy of the Fields:

The Labor and Educational Histories of Migrant Farmworking Parents

My passion to become an educator is born from my experiences as the child of migrant farmworkers .

I decided to conduct a study that examined how the life experiences of Mexican-origin, farmworking parents shape how they choose to engage in the schooling process of their children . I wanted to understand how farmworking parents, many who have little prior formal education, think about and support their child’s education . The literature within the field of education over the past 20 years has demonstrated a link between parents being involved in the education of their children, and their children doing better in school, especially in the lower grades (Chavkin, 1989; Epstein, 1995; Henderson &

Berla, 1997) . While a growing and significant amount research has been conducted on understanding the educational involvement of Latino families, especially in urban areas (Auerbach, 2001; Ceja, 2004;

Delgdo-Gaitan, 1991, 2001; Lawson, 2003; Lopez, 2001; Valdes, 1996), less research has focused on

Mexican-origin migrant farmworkers families, a subgroup primarily located in rural areas . How do farmworking parents who often work so many hours manage to have a presence in the education of their children (Perez-Carreon, et al . (2005)? Answering this question and others led me to the community of Trabajo 2 to conduct my research study and investigate an understudied population within the field of education .

The city of Trabajo is a small, rural farmworking community located in Central California . The population of the city is almost entirely Latino, mostly of Mexican origin, with a high percentage of residents living in poverty . Furthermore, over half of the population of Trabajo is foreign born, with most in the community speaking a language other than English at home . The characteristics of this largely (im)migrant farmworking population is reflected in their low levels of educational attainment, as some estimates point to 20% 3 having completed high school—a total of one-fourth of the national average . The geographical isolation of Trabajo makes it increasingly difficult for its residents to have access to employment, education, health, and other public social resources that other communities often take for granted .

Trabajo has both an elementary and middle school, but does not yet have a high school . The students from Trabajo are bused to a nearby and more racially mixed community, which houses the high school for the district . The most recent demographics available for both of the schools at Trabajo show that the student populations mirror those of the community and are almost entirely Latino with a high percentage of Spanish-speaking English Learners . Both of Trabajo’ s schools have high rates of students who qualify for a free/reduced lunch, reflecting the high poverty levels of the community and the poverty wages that their farmworking parents earn . In terms of performance on statewide standardized tests, both of the schools have consistently received an API ranking of “1” for the last 10 years, the lowest score possible . At least by standardized measures utilized by the state of California, the two schools in the community are some of the lowest-performing schools in the state . In the following section, I

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 401 detail a promising pedagogical approach towards creating the type of learning conditions that can potentially lead to stronger home, school, and community collaboration .

As a social justice educator, the work of Paulo Freire (2000) has been essential in helping me understand how education can either be used as a tool for oppression or for liberation . While Freire’s work has commonly been utilized to examine the educational and political situation of urban schooling populations, hardly ever has his work been used in the context in which it originated—in rural communities and schools (McLaren & Giroux, 1990) . Two of Paulo Freire’s most useful pedagogical concepts are the notions of “banking” education and “problem-posing” education . For Freire, a banking education consists of teachers “filling” or creating deposits in the “blank slated minds” of their students . A banking education presumes that students from these communities and their culture have nothing of value to offer . Their prior “failure” to become “educated” is not a result of schools ill-serving these students and their families, but rather, their backwardness and inability to become civilized . Freire (2000) adds:

The oppressed are regarded as the pathology of the healthy society, which must therefore adjust these

“incompetent and lazy” folk to its own patterns by changing their mentality . These marginals need to be

“integrated,” “incorporated” into the healthy society that they have “forsaken .” (p . 74)

Specific ways in which Freire’s above explanation has been manifested have been through cultural deficit theories (Valencia & Solórzano, 1997; Valencia & Black, 2002), where the solution to “properly” educating these communities has been through the eradication of their culture, often seen as anti-intellectual . In the community of Trabajo , an educator espousing a “banking ideology” would be someone more interested in “changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation[s] which oppress them” (p . 74) . This ideology seeks to deny and silence the voices of these families and their struggles .

The solution to the banking system of education for Freire rests in a “dialogic education” (multidirectional) where the student and teacher both recognize that they are jointly responsible for educating one another . This pedagogical standpoint requires that the teacher be humble enough to have faith in his or her students’ ability and capacity to become “critical co-investigators in dialogue with their teacher” (p . 81) . According to Freire (2000),

In problem-posing education, people develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation . (p . 83)

For youth and families residing in communities like Trabajo , an emancipatory, problem-posing education would allow their voices to be heard and require us to listen closely to understand what the causes of their continued poverty and social isolation are . An educator committed to a problem-posing education and deeply engaged in dialogue with the community would soon come to realize that the structure of farmwork is not just difficult and under-appreciated labor, but an intersection of multiple forms of oppression structured into their daily existence . For example, one might begin by posing questions like the following: Why do many (im)migrant farmworkers continue to live at or below poverty levels when their labor propels the state of California to a $36 .2 billion agricultural output? Why then would a geographical region that produces so much wealth be identified in a recent study of human development indicators examining educational, health, and economic wellness as one of worst regions in the nation—worse off than even Appalachia? These types of questions would shift the discourse of parent involvement from “why didn’t Juanito’s parents come to the parent meeting?”, to “Why do Juanito’s parents work so much yet earn so little?” Problem posing in this way interrogates the political economy structure that allows these injustices to be created and perpetuated in the first place . These questions lead to complex answers which would challenge the dominant narrative about educational attainment, achievement, and inequality, held by many practicing educators . Unfortunately, in the current climate

402 Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich and Pedro Nava of NCLB and high-stakes testing, where students are often reduced to just a test score, these types of questions become harder and harder to ask—especially when the incentives structures are not aligned with this type of pedagogy and when most teachers are not prepared to teach or work closely with families in this critical manner .

This research study seeks to contribute to the professional educational literature that examines teaching, learning, and family-school relations and the social context of diverse communities of color .

The researchable question informing this study is 1) How do the educational, migratory, and labor histories of Mexican (im)migrant farmworking families mediate their educational engagement? This study explores how the life histories of (im)migrant Mexican-origin farmworking families inform their engagement in their children’s educational process . To answer this question, I utilized a qualitative methodological approach and case study design (Yin, 2003) . This design allowed me to investigate the complex and rich life histories of farmworker parents in the context in which they occur . In exploring their life narratives, I examined the ways they support their children’s educational endeavors and sought to understand what messages they are sending to their children about education . For me, parent engagement refers to more than school- or home-based forms of “involvement”; it also includes parents’

“orientations to the world and how those orientations frame the things they do or choose not to do”

(Calabrese-Barton et al ., 2004, p . 3) .

For the study, I began by conducting life history interviews with ten families, both mother and father, and specifically focused on their educational, labor, and migration histories . The principal selection criteria of families for this study was that they live in the community of Trabajo , work as farmworkers, and have at least one child attending the elementary or middle school . I would visit them at their homes and conduct interviews with them in Spanish, usually in the evening after a long day of work . The purpose of the oral history interviews was to gain an understanding of the socio-political factors that led these parents to migrate to Central California . What were the different life processes that brought them to the community of Trabajo ? In other words, how have the families’ perspectives on education been shaped by what they have experienced in their own educational process, their work experiences, moving from place to place, and now living in Central California?

The findings for this study revealed three significant themes . The first finding demonstrates that the parents’ own prior educational experiences profoundly shaped their aspirations for their own children’s educational trajectories . For example, all the parents were forced by finances to abandon their own educational pursuits in Mexico . Their own desires and goals for schooling were crushed, as their families’ limited financial resources made it impossible for the majority to continue their schooling past the ninth grade . One parent indicated that her inability to continue her education in Mexico drove her to attend night school in the United States to show her daughters that if she was capable of obtaining her GED in the face of multiple obstacles, her daughters had no excuse not to succeed and reach their goals . She stated that conversations with her children are now about what university they will be attending, not if they will be attending .

The second significant finding pertains to the concept of educación and being of service to others .

United Farmworkers of America (UFW) leader Cesar Chavez once stated, “The end of all education should surely be service to others .” In that same spirit, several parents in the study shared that their own parents had instilled in them the value of service to others being a component of a good education, or buena educación . Part of having a buena educación goes beyond simply doing well academically in school; it also includes being “serviceable to others .” This ethic was echoed by parents as they gave several examples of specific ways they ensured that they were responsive to the needs of others . A parent shared how her grandparents—by modeling multiple ways in which they helped and supported their neighbors—taught her that one should always think about others before thinking of one’s self . She also gave the example of her father taking clothing and materials to less fortunate people in the U .S ./

Mexico border region when he would return to Mexico to visit his family . In a similar fashion, this

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 403 parent would regularly volunteer at the local elementary school where both of her children attended to help some of the young students who needed additional academic support . The examples provided by these parents show that having a high-quality education should include a communal dimension that accounts for what one does for others as well .

The third and final set of findings pertains to the experiences that adolescents had when their parents took them to work alongside them in the agricultural fields of Central California . This “Pedagogy of the Fields” resulted in the children having direct experience with the type of labor exploitation their parents experience on a daily basis . One parent shared how he would take his son to work with him during his high school summer breaks so that he could have money to purchase his school clothing .

In exposing his son to such a “life depriving” line of work, he hoped to teach him that a formal education was an escape from the poverty they lived in . Another parent indicated that she took her teenage daughter to work one day at an onion-packing house after the daughter began failing in her academics .

Her goal was to show her daughter that if she did not want to do well in school, working in that type of job would require maximum sacrifice and effort . After her experience leaving their home at 4 a .m . that morning and returning at 10 p .m . that night, the daughter shortly thereafter began showing academic improvement in her classes . Finally, another parent indicated how she frequently tells her three young children who are not yet of working age how it would be heartbreaking to see them in the same “life depriving work” that she is forced to endure . These parents skillfully used their children’s labor experiences working alongside them as a “generative theme” to discuss with them systems of oppression that control their lives and are “limiting-situations” (Freire, 2000) . The new consciousness about labor exploitation that emerged from the children in the above examples allowed them to recognize and put into practice educational success as a “limit-act” that could allow them to escape a similar fate as their parents .

The findings from this study point to the importance of listening to and learning from the life stories of the parents whose children we teach . Engaging in these types of pedagogical exercises may not only serve as an important way of getting to know the families that work and live in the communities we teach, but also in them getting to know us more profoundly . If Mexican-origin, farmworking families possess the desire for their children to attain a higher education and support their efforts in doing so, how might we best build upon those assets? Also, how can structures be created in their communities that put into use the desire of many of these parents to be of service to others? While many of them are not materially rich, they possess a desire to see improvements in their community and are willing to participate to create greater opportunities for their children . Finally, how can educators create learning opportunities within the classroom which draw from the pedagogies of the fields? What can be learned about the structure of agricultural work directly from parents who are experts in what it means to be at the frontline of labor exploitation?

Do we have the will and the courage to include the voices of these parents in classroom spaces that are traditionally structured to deny their existence and contributions to the larger society? To answer these questions requires a problem-posing pedagogy in which teachers are willing to concede power to community members and acknowledge their expertise within the local, social, historical, and political context of the community .

Conclusions

Broadly conceived, education can be viewed as either domesticating or liberating (Freire, 1970; Macedo, 1994; Ladwig, 1999; Whitty, 1985) . A domesticating education prepares students to acquiesce reflexively to the dictates of authority figures, uncritically consume information, and feel no compulsion to question or act . This might not be problematic if the world were harmonious and just . Because it is not, we have found post-colonial, critical, anti-racist, and feminist theories to provide essential insights into ways of achieving an education that frees students (and practicing teachers) from blind obedience, ignorant bliss, and complacent inaction . Post-colonial theorists, for example, draw atten-

404 Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich and Pedro Nava tion to how dominant groups use research and knowledge to control those depersonalized as “others”

(Smith, 1999) . More precisely, defining “what counts as valued knowledge, skills, and traditions,” as well as determining “who gets to ask,” “what,” and “to whom” afford great power to structure the world in a way that maintains power and privilege . Consequently, first-generation college students tend to go to schools that are less well-funded than many private and research-focused universities, and are structured around a “knowledge transmission” factory model rather than a “knowledge production” model

(Aronowitz, 2000) . This distinction means that students from historically underserved communities, such as our students and those in other CSUs (e .g ., Sleeter, 2005) are likely to attend a university that is structured to enable them to consume knowledge produced by those from more affluent institutions .

Since the online MAT’s inception in 2005, we have worked to disrupt the educational status quo or institutionalized domesticating system outlined above . By intentionally orienting this graduate program around knowledge production wherein practicing teachers work with knowledge frameworks and critically oriented, theoretical, and methodological traditions arising within historically oppressed communities, they create knowledge that is of, by, for, and about their community and its own empowerment . More specifically, we embraced the concept of transformative, emancipatory knowledge that “is based on different epistemological assumptions about the nature of knowledge, about the influence of human interests and values on knowledge construction, and about the purpose of knowledge” (Banks,

2006, p . 9) . Transformative, emancipatory knowledge offers “an alternative narration of the arrangement of social space” (Gallegos, 1998, p . 236), and provides conceptual tools to address conditions that have historically been oppressed or excluded .

One such tool, our concept of social justice collaboration, involves our graduate students/practicing teachers using knowledge to enhance the collective condition . We use the term social justice from a Freirian perspective that focuses on transforming the school structures that perpetuate the unequal distribution of social power . Freire (1970) contends that changing the status quo involves naming injustices that oppress and then taking action with other people through dialogue and work . Naming injustice, particularly that in schooling, is critical, since so much of it is taken for granted or viewed as

“common sense” (Kumashiro, 2004) .

As alluded to earlier, teaching is inherently political and ethical because teachers have direct influence on the lives of others . As a social institution, education affords or denies access to resources that directly impact one’s life changes . Because we see teaching as a process of engagement with knowledge that arises in part from lived experience, we value engaged pedagogy that facilitates honest, critical dialogues that allow consideration of significant issues among people who share experiences of oppression, as well as with those who do not . Understanding teaching as both a political and ethical act substantiates the need to prepare teachers who are able to act as committed transformative intellectuals

(Giroux, 1983)—who have the confidence to use their knowledge, skills, and position to work toward positive change in classrooms, schools, and communities . The transformative intellectual must grasp the precondition of a collective process of liberation by participating in a community that values the need to change the social conditions of oppression inside and outside of school (Freire, 1970; hooks,

1994; Huiskamp, 2002) . This is why many of our core program learning outcomes, described later and illustrated in the student mini-action research studies, reflect the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to work as a change agent .

As traditionally structured, higher education does not support the vision sketched above . Structural conditions inside and outside post-secondary institutions privilege the academic success of students who are white, native English-speaking, and from affluent backgrounds . Beginning in 2005, we implemented a post-credential, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program to support practicing teachers with complex lives and varying degrees of preparedness for academic rigor . Consequently, we have organized this chapter around three broad themes: a pluralistic academic community; student learn-

Action Research for Critical Classroom and Community Change 405 ing anchored in MSJE and educative action research; and support for student learning in an online environment .

Notes

1 . While the critical pedagogies developed by educational scholars differ significantly, they do hold a number of common assumptions (Gitlin & Price, 1992; Leistyna, Woodrum, & Sherblom, 1996) . The central purpose of these alternative pedagogies is to produce a political form of knowledge—a knowledge that makes problematic the relations among schools, the larger society, and the issues of power, domination, and liberation . Critical pedagogies also try to enable those traditionally silenced to play an active role in the learning process, consequently empowering the student in ways that reflect egalitarian and democratic ideals . Finally, critical pedagogies attempt to further consciousness and critical thinking where students delve into their own histories and meaning systems to learn about the structural and ideological forces that influence and restrict their lives (see, e .g ., Apple, 1986; Apple & Beane, 2007; Camangian, 2008; Duncan-Andrade

& Morrell, 2008; Giroux, 1983; Giroux & McClaren, 1986; McLaren, 1997) .

2 . The name of the community has been changed to protect the participants . Trabajo means “to labor” in Spanish .

3 . This statistic refers to the population over the age of 25, a marker utilized by the U .S . Census .

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Appendix E - Student 1 Illustration of Technological Navigator

1 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS

Producing Multimedia Content for Elementary EFL Students

David Pretre

Fresno State University

Fall 2013


Introduction

(Note: the introduction or any other applicable parts that have been written specifically in the context of

CI246 will be revised for any edition meant for a wider audience.)

First, I feel I should explain why I chose this project for myCI246-Action

Research multimedia presentation. I will assume that most of my cohorts applied this cumulating experience to make a presentation relating to their research pursued during our previous courses. Thus, the direction I have taken for my multimedia project might seem a bit odd. I did not feel my thesis work on after-school programs and parental support would benefit from such a presentation, and my students’ and school’s situation certainly wouldn’t improve from such work. “Action research” implies a transformative element: the research itself is an asset to the stakeholders and the experience transforms the researcher via direct involvement in their welfare. Thus, the question I asked myself was, “What kind of project could I do that would provide my school or other EFL teachers with something actually useful that they need? What would be the most useful skills I could build in the process?”

This is not an easy question for a native English teacher in the Korean public school system. I have no influence on school policy, and trying to affect the school environment in any way is not considered appropriate. Our lessons are scripted. I always improve them by giving creative visual presentations, designing better games, leading better discussions, etc., but I cannot change the format of the lessons as we do our yearly march through the textbook. Any significant divergence would lead to being off schedule for the “all-important” standardized tests awaiting the students. Also, I do almost all my

3 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS teaching in tandem with a Korean co-teacher, who needs to approve the curriculum we do. During the course of this MAT program, instances where I’ve tried to inject discussion of social justice (or other humanitarian concerns) were often met with aversion and a refusal to translate what I was saying to the students.

The answer I arrived at in regards to my multimedia presentation centers around the creation of multimedia content for our classrooms. First, the songs that come with our English textbooks are truly terrible. The singing portions of our lessons aren’t very long, but it’s really important that students have good content to sing with. Songs can be used to teach a variety of language skills, such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, and parts of speech. Other features of the language—stress, rhythm, and intonation—can be presented through songs as well. (Paquette & Rieg,

2008) Perhaps more importantly (and where our textbook CD’s songs fail) has to do what

Steven Krashen referred to as the “affective filter.” A weak filter suggests a positive attitude toward learning and optimal learning is achieved by bypassing the affective filter. Learning through singing songs is an excellent example of a method of such a bypass (Paquette & Rieg). This leads to a plethora of benefits including heightened aural stimulus (listening carefully to sung sounds), heightened physical stimulus (noticing changes in tongue, jaw, etc.), and memory via using the song as a mnemonic device

(Jenson, 2003). By giving English a context slightly outside of its meaning (as opposed to using English in conversation, for instance) it can avoid many of the mental “roadblocks” inherent in learning a second language. In normal everyday speech a word is pronounced as a package, all tied together with its meaning and with the original pronunciation learned with the word. This is simple enough if the word is in a speaker’s native

4 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS language, but in the context of a foreign language it’s a lot for the brain to process and it can mix with the more entrenched language pathways of the brain, which produces an accent or complete mispronunciation. Singing temporarily sidesteps the students’ understanding of the word as a “word” (with old pronunciation habits attached), and allows them to build a sequence of sounds that add up to a correct reproduction of the word (Jenson).

However, while the textbook’s CD songs technically have characteristics of songwriting (a drum beat, some kind of melody playing) they add up to voices speaking the lessons’ dialogues with canned music “yammering” in the background. In many

Korean EFL teachers’ opinions they don’t touch the part of the brain that responds to music. Therefore, the first aspect of this project is to begin replacing the songs included with our 5 th

and 6 th

grade lessons. The ones included with our 3 rd

and 4 th

grade ones are bad too, but youtube is an effective resource for finding replacement songs. I suppose lower grade songs are easier and more fun to make, and also there’s a whole vein to mine of pre-school and kindergarten content. Younger students still like that kind of early childhood presentation format , but twelve to thirteen year old students don’t want songs and videos intended for toddlers. Also the higher-grade lessons are quite specific in regards to vocabulary and key phrases. You could teach an existing song whose content might dovetail with your lesson, but you’ll have to teach an entire extra lesson around the extraneous vocabulary. Here is an example of a good song that we use for our 6 th

grade occupations lesson:

People In My Town


It’s wonderful, but we have to devote half of the class period to teaching it. The mission of this part of my project is to replace the part of the textbook’s lesson plan that calls for the song from the textbook’s CD without altering the lesson in any other way . Thus, the scope of this mission is very narrow and specific, but I believe this is also the most relevant and useful approach to assist EFL public school teachers.

The second part of this project addresses the question of teaching social justice in my teaching environment. Korea is not my own culture, there isn’t a lot of diversity in our classrooms (I have never had a student who did not have both a Korean mother and father), and in general my co-workers have been less than pleased when I have tried to introduce social consciousness into lessons. I do not get a lot of opportunity to plan my own lessons during the regular school year. However, I did get tasked with producing ten-minute “Morning English with Dave” videos to be shown to the entire school. While pondering how to effectively use the format for teaching multicultural or social justice issues, I chose to use literature to teach social empathy with the book “Don’t Laugh At

Me” . In the process, I realized the answer to my dilemma was a bit like “not seeing the forest for the trees”.

Purposes of This Project

For students: producing multimedia content relevant to Korean EFL students’ needs and situation. This includes better English songs and song videos than they will get with their textbook’s CD, and broad based (K-6 th

grade) English videos that not only address

English but also contribute to greater social awareness.


For teachers: to write an instructional primer on strategies for producing multimedia content for use in the classroom. One thing I discovered during my initial research was that I couldn’t find articles on how to actually make educational content for children, what tools to use, and advice on the creative process. Thus, much of the documentation here is a detailed explanation of the exact steps involved, mistakes that were made, and what I learned about how to make audio and video for educational purposes. My goal is that after reading this paper a teacher who is reasonably knowledgeable (or can collaborate with others who have pieces of the puzzle) in how to use MIDI, digital audio, and computer based video editors could produce their own works. A point that was made by a 3 rd

grade American teacher (who used one of my song videos with his class) is that despite the plethora of educational material available on youtube, many teachers are actually not impressed with their choices for specific lessons. Perhaps the instruction here can be a useful illustration that teachers have the ability to solve this problem for themselves.

For the researcher: this project gave me the impetus to gather the tools, learn how to use them, and develop the skills to enable me to produce powerful content for my students.

Part I: Songs and Videos

Research Question: What is a time efficient but effective methodology for producing elementary EFL songs and song videos?

Participants: Elementary students in Busan (target demographic 5 th

and 6 th

grade).

Tools Used to Create Content


MacBook Pro (2009)

Ableton 8

Live Suite

: to produce music

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface / AKG perception 200 mic : recording vocals

Final Cut Pro X , iMovie : video editing

Quicktime Player7: assistant video editor

Power Point: to create animations

SnapzProX: to record Power Point animations to video iKaraoke Tuneprompter: to make karaoke files (the syncing feature is very easy to use) kJamsLite: to export karaoke files to video (because the video export feature in iKaraoke

Tuneprompter is broken) youtube.com: for distribution

Guidelines

I created this set of guidelines for making the songs and videos. Note they are

“guidelines” and not “rules”. The guidelines result in greatly limiting creative possibilities, thus they should be bent rather than the content creator just run into a creative “wall”. However, at the point where the guidelines have been breached the creator is technically “out of bounds”, and needs to get back “in” as soon as possible.


Vocabulary and key phrases- Songs should only contain language that is used in the actual lesson being taught from the textbook. Any extraneous language included should be contained in previous lessons students have learned from textbook lessons. There should be no need to include any additional mini-lesson in order for students to understand and sing the song.

The reader should note that this is EFL , and not ESL. The students attend three forty minute lessons a week at our school and take English in afterschool programs, but other than that they have no practical connection to English in their everyday lives. Thus, the vocabulary and language mastery the students have is extremely narrow.

Copywrite This guideline especially applies to the music, in keeping with the spirit of the exercise. Given the volume of MIDI files available on the Internet and lack of teacher time, setting a mandatory expectation on anyone to compose all original music is unrealistic. However, using somebody else’s copywrited music is a good way to have it taken down from youtube (not to mention being unsporting), which will eliminate a valuable distribution tool for other teachers. Thus, only public domain MIDI files should be used. Certain types of video usage might raise similar reservations, but in the case of using movie scenes there are many fan edits on youtube .

Karaoke The lyrics to the songs should be included in a karaoke format.

Class time The entire process of learning and singing the song must take less than ten minutes of class time, and possibly less than five. This necessitates the last item:


“Listen and repeat” version included- To facilitate reducing class time allocation and easing most of the burden of teaching the song from the teacher, there should be an edit of the song and video that repeats every line with just music and karaoke. This is a tutorial version of the song, and students should be able to learn the song in two runs: one time using the listen and repeat version, and then singing the regular version of the song.

Song #1: Rooms Lesson Song

Textbook CD’s Song

My song: “Welcome to My House”

Listen and Repeat Version

I’ll preface this by mentioning that this was not a successful attempt. The lesson was for rooms in a house and objects in said house. The textbook CD’s animated video scenario is about a boy named Jimmy who is giving a tour of his house and he has many puppies. While there is a decent “Room Song” from Busy Beavers , it does not fit into the criteria stated above for replacing a textbook CD’s song. I kept production very simple for a few reasons: one, if the music sounded too well produced I thought it would be a jarring change from what they are used to. Second, part of the experiment was to prove how incompetent the CD producers were when making their songs, and I will assume they were on a very short time schedule to get their songs done. The researcher also did not have a surplus of time to prepare the media. So…you have no time to write a song, and a deadline: what do you do? The CD producers appear to have opted for buying some stock “techno-ish” styled midi files and just read lines from the lesson as

10 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS lyrics, so their work doesn’t really sound like songs. My approach was to take an old children’s song and adapt it. For my song I took a piano MIDI file for “Wee Willie

Winkie” (for listening to the MIDI file use the link to download) select and constructed some basic rhythm and melody around it using Ableton. Then I wrote what I hoped was a

“funny story” about the puppies in Jimmy’s house doing things in different rooms. After singing it I tried to reproduce an effect from the CDs where it sounds like the singers pitch shift their vocals to make them sound more like a child is singing. Making the

“listen and repeat” edit of the song was exhausting the first time, due to having to totally re-edit the music so it repeats then splice the vocals to cover every other bar. However, by the time I finished this song I learned some copy/paste shortcuts that made the second song much easier in this respect. Then I made the karaoke file in iKaraoke Tuneprompter

(which then had to be exported to video in Kjams because of a Tunepromter quicktime bug). Then to iMovie, which may or may not be worth the full $14 price. I used iMovie to insert what I hoped were funny pictures of dogs doing the actions depicted in the song with the karaoke running above the pics.

I would call this first attempt a partial failure. It was a failure because the kids didn’t like the song, but only partially so because it’s still (in my and my co-teacher’s opinion) arguably better than the one on the CD. Also this is a tough audience, almost 6 th graders! I observed their behavior during my song, and also during the textbook CD’s song and their reaction was similar. However, I played it for some 3 rd

graders in my afterschool class and they covered their ears. I really thought I had everything here: cute dog pics, funny story, and decent music. Part of the problem may have been the pitch shift effect on the voice, which is addressed in the second song.


Song #2: The Avengers Comparisons Song

Song from the textbook’s CD

The Avengers Comparison Song

Version with “listen and repeat” at the beginning followed by regular version

After the first song’s failure I decided I needed a different approach to this project. My initial criteria that I just needed to make the songs and videos better than the

CD wasn’t going to cut it. Essentially, making ten songs that students didn’t like and teachers wouldn’t use is a useless activity versus making higher quality ones over a long period of time. This means actual production, which increases the work time by such a multiple that stating it would sound like hyperbole. It means spending all afternoon getting the (hopefully humorous) sound of someone shouting from behind the “chorus” at just the right volume and acoustic spatialization to play correctly on TV speakers. It means realizing that a minor problem is an hour back in the production chain, but going back and fixing it anyway.

I came up with the song’s concept primarily out of desperation. I really needed a

“hit” if I was going to keep trying to show these videos to students. I have co-teachers, the students are teenagers, and no one is going like the songs just because I made a special effort to make them. If the songs/videos are lame, the whole situation is awkward. I asked myself, “What’s a can’t fail idea for thirteen year olds?” Some kind of cultural connection was necessary, but I knew trying to appeal to Korean culture was risky. Instead, what about our shared culture of Hollywood movies? I did a poll and most of my students had seen the movie “The Avengers” . The lesson that we’d be doing

12 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS around the time I could get something finished was comparisons (e.g. big, bigger, biggest). I thought about the fact that The Hulk tops out at just about everything, but everyone hates The Hulk. The Hulk even hates himself. The humorous “hook” I came up with was having imaginary burley men singing about their admiration for The Hulk in a military parade. Another good reason to make a song about The Avengers is that it gave me plenty of content to make the video. There’s the entire movie, plus a selection of pics, and (if necessary) the same characters have their own movies.

The song was created again using Ableton 8 , and then turned into a karaoke video. The music was arranged by taking the melody for a turn of the century piece called

“A War Song” (link to MIDI file) , and adapted elements of a marching band song Serban

Nichifor wrote for the US Marines named “Heroes” . A second “listen and repeat” version was then edited, with every line running twice. The standard format for such a tutorial version is for the repeated line to have silent vocals for the students to try it on their own, but I opted to include the vocal track at a very low volume to lend some guidance to students’ singing.

Pitch Shift Versus Throat Modeling

I’d like to make a special mention of a production insight I arrived at while producing this and the previous song. If you are making educational content such as songs, animation, puppets, etc. you will at times want to make your voice sound like someone (or something) else outside of your vocal range. The obvious choice is to use a pitch shifting effect to raise or lower your voice. However, there are many problems associated with doing this. If you are doing this for music it can take you out of tune. In

13 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS any case you can only alter your voice by a couple of semitones before it sounds very digital and distorted. The solution I found to make the baritones in this song, and which could be applied to various other situations is throat-modeling software. Instead of changing your pitch, you can change your throat! The one I used in this song is Throat

Evo by AVOX . It can be used to subtly alter vocal tone or model a throat well outside of human anatomy without altering the key of your voice, and produce far fewer digital artifacts.

Once the song and karaoke were ready the video was edited in Final Cut Pro , which I acquired to step up my video editing ability. The “trim to video” feature in

QuickTime Player 7 was used to isolate short clips of the Avengers movie that could be worked with easily. In making the video clip selections I took special pains to edit out most of the violence, and all of the guns. Animations with Korean translation were created in Power Point and recorded to video using SnapzProX screen capture software.

The next important question that came up was how to adapt the video to the “listen in repeat” version of the song. Should the video segment repeat with the lyrics? That seemed repetitive and jarring. Instead the video was slowed down to half speed to match the repeated lyrics.

Finally I took it to my sixth grade students, and didn’t mention that I made it.

They obviously enjoyed the video, and dutifully did the listen and repeat. Depending on the class, many to most mouthed the song quietly with the regular version of the song.

However, they did not seem overly enthusiastic about fully singing the song. My 3 rd

-4th grade after-school class loved it and asked me to keep playing it after three times, and

14 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS continue to ask for it every class. An American teacher’s 3 rd

grade class also had a great time with it, using the youtube upload. Clickable annotations have been added to the youtube uploads so that the user can toggle between the basic song, and a version that has the listen and repeat followed by the regular version.

Trying to make educational songs for surly teenagers may be a bit of an up-hill battle. I’m not sure anything that isn’t already identifiable as “popular” (e.g. something produced by a famous artist) is going to get them actively engaged. However, this definitely represents a much more professional level effort than I ever planned to make out of this project. On a more positive note in the next lesson we did the aforementioned

People in My Town Song , and the students actually seemed have a better reaction to my own song. The end of the school year may just not be a good time to have high expectations of student engagement in the higher grades.

The next logical step for making EFL songs for Korean students is to tie a song’s musical style to the students’ own culture, as opposed to lampooning western culture. To do this I will attempt to fuse a Korean traditional song with K-POP (electro-house dance music) and add lyrics appropriate to a lesson using key words “I want to ___.” The concept is the singer is a robot (in a robot voice using a vocoder ), and it wants to keep doing things forever without stopping because it never gets tired. The lack of available video content is a problem with concepts involving original characters. I may focus more on the music, and just keep the visual presentation down to pics animated with Power

Point. I should also learn some form of simple animation.


Part II: Morning English

Research Question: How can ten minute EFL broadcast videos be used to promote social justice in Korean schools in an effective and culturally unobtrusive format?

Participants: Elementary students in Busan (K-6).

Korea is a very homogenous society. Thus, most exercises in teaching cultural diversity may be useful for cultivating a more open-minded world view, but do not have a direct practical significance in students’ lives. However, the Korean school environment is very competitive, and students who fall behind or have other personal problems are not treated well by their peers. Thus, teaching anti-bullying lessons via cultivating empathy serves to be a very useful way to utilize access to the school’s media broadcast system. I make no claim that three ten-minute videos are an optimal way to teach empathy.

Certainly a more immersive and interactive activity such as role-play in tandem with the book would improve its effectiveness, and in the future I will send suggested supplementary activities to my school’s homeroom teachers (Gerdes, Segal, Jackson, &

Mullins J.L., 2011). However, the book and song Don’t Laugh At Me in and of itself carries many components of effective empathy training, and has been used extensively for this purpose (Roerden, 2001). For reference and supplemental lessons in relation to the book I would recommend Operation Respect’s teachers’ guide to Don’t Laugh At Me

(Roerden).

Social empathy is the ability to understand people by entering into their situations in ways that reveal inequalities and disparities and then acting to effect social change

(Gerdes et al, 2011). One key to the effectiveness of Don’t Laugh At Me is the first

16 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS person narrative style it is written in. It doesn’t call the reader to pity or sympathy (which are inferior interventions) so much as puts the reader in the place of the unfortunate, downtrodden, and spurned members of their school environment and society as a whole

(Gerdes et al., 2011). One thing I was mindful of during the production of the video was to try to keep the superimposed text from covering the illustrated children’s eyes. Those eyes engage the audience directly; challenging the viewers’ preconceived notions of dehumanization. The combination of engaging elements in the book promotes a rational understanding of other people's experience; to logically take the perspective of and imagine what it would be like to be weak, small, helpless, compromised, separated from others by a trait, and so on (Gerdes et al.). Don’t Laugh At Me is the embodiment of the understanding that "the other person is like me, but is not me." (Roerden, 2001) On the level of using Don’t Laugh At Me as an EFL lesson it serves to introduce students to feelings related vocabulary, gives students appropriate context for explaining negative circumstances, and identifying “words that hurt” in English (Roerden). In a multicultural context it gives a sense of the universality of social problems that affect people in all societies.

Production of Don’t Laugh At Me Morning Videos

Production tools

Sony HDR-CX380 Camera

MacBook Pro (2009)

Final Cut Pro- video editing


Power Point- for making mini-lessons, and reading the book with superimposed text.

School’s broadcast system- distribution

The format was to cover the book over three lessons. Each lesson includes an introductory mini-lesson with Power Point and Korean students as a “sounding board”.

Then my co-teacher and I read the section of the book the mini-lesson covered (with translation), and playing the segment of the song from the book we read. I’m afraid this will look pretty amateurish: the school camera is awful (I think my phone has a better microphone), and because of time constraints my co-teacher and the students we had to film it every time in one take, no rehearsals. Thus, any necessary improvements just needed to be considered when making the next lesson. (This is especially true of the first one: we all thought it was a rehearsal run, and it turned out to be the take we had to actually use.) I was under serious time constraints for planning and preparing this part of the project. I generally had the PPT done the moment before everyone showed up to film, so in retrospect I can think of many ways this idea could be improved. For instance, I should include questions for class discussion at the end, and possibly provide teachers with a short plan for a mini-lesson or discussion.

Morning English: Don’t Laugh At Me

(click to view)

PART1 , PART2

(best example)

, PART3

The basic formula for these lessons is solid and I will continue to use it for

Morning English. A detailed but visually engaging vocabulary lesson should be the introduction; otherwise during the reading segment students will focus primarily on the translation and not the English. If at all possible choosing material that has a song

18 PRODUCING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS associated with it is important. To motivate students to concentrate on seven minutes of a foreign language lesson, they should have something fun to look foreword to; thus a song should be part of the regular lesson format.

The response to these videos was very positive. The principal actually called me in to thank me for my choice and execution of this subject material in the Morning

English broadcasts. This is the direct opposite of my previous experiences where I sought to apply a social justice theme to my teaching, and made me realize the obvious conclusion that I was somehow previously missing. Utilizing multicultural or social justice themed books that the Korean school system already uses lends social justice and multicultural lessons legitimacy; credibility that my own prepared lessons doesn’t have.

It’s the difference between covering respected and recognized works that carry a theme, rather than it just being “the liberal American teacher” attempting to inject his own world view onto the Korean school environment. In the future I will more diligently seek out literature sources for my lessons that feature various ethnicities, and carry themes of social justice. Basically, I need to let the literature make my points for me.


References

Gerdes K.E., Segal E.A., Jackson K.F., Mullins J.L. (2011), Teaching Empathy: A

Framework Rooted in Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Social Justice, Journal of

Social Work Education, Vol. 47, No. 1

Jenson, K. (2003). Teaching the ESL Singer, Journal of Singing, Volume 59, No. 5, 415–

424

Paquette K.R., Rieg S. A. (2008). Using Music to Support the Literacy Development of

Young English Language Learners. Early Childhood Education Journal . 36:227–232

DOI 10.1007/s10643-008-0277-9

Roerden, L.R. (2001), Don’t Laugh At Me: Teacher’s Guide (Grades 2-5) Creating A

Ridicule-Free Classroom , retrieved from OperationRespect .org

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Department of Curriculum and Instruction

I = Introduced

R = Refined

M = Mastered

Timeline for Data Collection and Review

Appendix B

FALL 2008 & 2009

Teaching

SPRING 2009

Teaching

SPRING 2010

Teaching

DATA NOT GATHERED FALL 2010 for COHORT 5

SPRING 2011

Teaching

FALL 2011

Teaching

Appendix C

Mission Statement

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Curriculum and Instruction

List of Required Courses (21 units):

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT): Curriculum and Instruction

Goals and Objectives Chart

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT): Curriculum and Instruction

Objective by Course Matrix

Assessment Plan:

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) - Curriculum and Instruction

CHAPtER t WENt Y-SEVEN

Action Research for Critical Classroom and

Community Change

Greg S. Goodman, Walter Ullrich, and Pedro Nava

People In My Town

Part I: Songs and Videos

Guidelines

Song #2: The Avengers Comparisons Song

Song from the textbook’s CD

The Avengers Comparison Song

Part II: Morning English

Production of Don’t Laugh At Me Morning Videos

Morning English: Don’t Laugh At Me

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